In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris, a citizen petition-drive demanding that the White House place a moratorium on all refugee resettlement from the Middle East has been initiated. The stated goal is to collect at least 100,000 signatures by December 14.
In September, President Obama invited a Syrian refugee to the White House who had gathered 300,000 signatures. The petition asked the President to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the country from 10,000 to 65,000.
The petition to the President and his administration demanding that he place a moratorium on Middle East refugee resettlement in the U.S. states:
“Place a Moratorium on all Refugee Resettlement from the Middle East in the Wake of the Paris Terror Attacks.”
In the wake of the Jihad terror attacks in Paris of 13 November, we demand that an indefinite moratorium be placed on all refugee resettlement from Middle Eastern nations.
It has recently come to light that one of the Paris Jihad attackers possessed a Syrian passport and passed through Greece in October 2015. According to Nikos Toscas, Greece’s deputy minister in charge of police, “The holder of the passport passed through the island of Leros on Oct. 3, 2015, where he was identified according to EU rules.”
Seeing how this attacker easily exploited Europe’s refugee policies, we can only assume that others will exploit our generous, and porous, system in order to commit acts of terrorism on our sacred American soil.
Mr. President, WE demand an indefinite moratorium. Protect America!
There have been over 4,800 signatures collected as of the time of publication of this article.
President Obama responded to a petition calling for the U.S. to take in 65,000 Syrian refugees, by inviting the originator of the petition drive to the White House. George Batah, a 23-year-old refugee from Syria in 2013 started the drive in late August.
The Huffington Post reported on October 21st that Batah said “the United States has a moral obligation to continue being ‘the leader in refugee resettlement.’” Batah said he had also started another Change.org petition asking people to petition their mayors to welcome more Syrian refugees.
CNN also covered Batah’s petition drive garnering over 300,000 signatures. Batah appeared on the network and said the President’s promise to let in 10,000 Syrians was not enough. He said “the least” America could do was to allow 65,000 Syrian refugees in the country, and said he really appreciated the job that was Germany was doing.
The White House’s response to Batah’s petition appears in part here:
Now, we must not only do what we can to help these refugees, but also do everything we can to help the others who remain behind. Humanitarian aid provides an absolutely vital lifeline to millions of Syrians who are displaced within the country and in its neighboring countries.
That is why, under President Obama, the U.S. is the world’s largest donor of humanitarian aid, having contributed $4 billion in aid to date to help meet urgent needs in the most effective way. The President has also directed his Administration to scale up the number of Syrian refugees we will bring to the U.S. next year to at least 10,000.
In considering policies to effectively respond to this ongoing crisis, the Administration continues to work with policymakers and the people who are most affected by the crisis — including George Batah, a Syrian immigrant and the creator of this petition.
After he created this petition, we invited George to the White House to discuss the President’s current efforts and how we can work together with communities across the country to more effectively address this crisis.
The Obama administration’s response included a link where individuals could find volunteer opportunities by their zip code. Photos of Syrian children, mostly little girls, as well as a 90-year-old woman, appear at the linked site.
The White House is reportedly forced to respond to a petition if more than 100,000 signatures are obtained from a petition drive.
The Obama administration’s website also states that it is committed to a petition drive platform and has an online method of creating a petition, looking at open petitions, and providing for an avenue to see the White House’s response to petitions.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as an associate judge and prosecutor. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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