By Mia O’Neill
@thedbk
For The Diamondback
The Middle East’s refugee conflict continues to garner global attention as citizens and politicians weigh feelings of moral obligation against safety and economic concerns.
A June 13 survey published by Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Chair for peace and development at the University of Maryland, in conjunction with the Brookings Institution, explored Americans’ opinions on letting refugees — particularly those from Syria, Iraq and Libya — into the United States.
Results from the survey, which were presented at the Brookings Institution, found that 59 percent of Americans said they supported letting in refugees from such Middle Eastern countries as long as they underwent security background checks.
Democrats were far more likely to support the measure than Republicans, as 77 percent of Democrats said they favored allowing refugees in with the background checks, while 63 percent of Republicans were opposed, according to the Brookings Institution website. Among Donald Trump supporters, 77 percent said they were against letting refugees into the U.S.
Millennials were significantly more supportive of welcoming refugees than older Americans, with 68 percent saying they would be in favor of the measure, according to the survey.
However, the survey showed a slight dip in refugee approval when it came to welcoming refugees into one’s own backyard rather than on the national scale, with 55 percent of Americans saying they thought refugees would be welcomed into their own communities, according to the survey.
In March, College Park’s City Council took its own stance on the issue, voting unanimously to welcome all refugees to settle in the city.
“[The vote] was an important response to [events] around the country,” Mayor Patrick Wojahn said, adding that it was important for the city to “embrace diversity” and “welcome people facing hardship in their own lands.”
The decision was in response to an online petition created by College Park resident Jackie Pearce Garrett. The petition, which received 145 signatures, followed Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s request in November 2015 to temporarily close the state’s borders to refugees due to security concerns.
On Tuesday, Hogan restated these concerns and reaffirmed his stance on allowing refugees to enter the state, according to The Washington Post.
Still, the city’s vote was “symbolic — not any kind of commitment,” District 1 Councilman Fazlul Kabir said. “Just very much welcoming language, stating that we welcome refugees into College Park.”
Local reaction to the resolution has been generally positive, Wojahn and Kabir said, but some residents have voiced reservations in online forums — mainly about safety and concerns regarding potential terrorism threats, Kabir added.
