Opinions mixed on Syrian refugee aid

News that one of the terrorists of the latest attacks on Paris had sneaked into Paris among thousands of Syrian refugees has prompted Chinese Americans living in the San Francisco Bay Area to petition the state government to bar Syrian refugees from entering California.

Following the Paris attacks which left 129 people dead, 30 US governors have said they would refuse the Syrian refugees over security concerns.

California Governor Jerry Brown said, in an earlier statement, that he would work closely with the president so that he could "both uphold America's traditional role as a place of asylum" and "ensure that anyone seeking refuge in America is fully vetted in a sophisticated and utterly reliable way".

"We understand President Obama's concern that most refugees are nice people who just need help, but no one can guarantee that no terrorist will take advantage of the path for refugees to spread all over the world," said Jennifer, a Chinese-American resident in the Bay Area, who asked to be identified only by her first name.

She said people were talking about canceling travel plans and not going to concerts or soccer games after the Paris terrorist attacks. "They are afraid of even just sitting in a coffee shop. People feel their lives could be in danger," she said.

"Terrorists do not need to be many in number to cause terrific damage and long-term irreversible injuries," she said.

Two days ago, she set up an online petition for residents to voice their opposition to allowing Syrian refugees into California. So far, 91 people, most of them Chinese, have signed.

"We don't want to be another Paris! Seriously!" Qinghua Huang, a resident of Sunnyvale, wrote.

Janet G, a resident of San Ramon, said the state government should "solve Californian people's problems with Californian people's tax money first".

"What makes the leaders think we actually have the bandwidth or additional funds to settle the refugees?" she commented.

California assembly member Kansen Chu, a Chinese-American representative of the 25th district, encompassing parts of the South Bay, has different opinions. He said it's the US tradition to take in refugees and the country had allowed in large numbers of refugees from different countries in the past.

"Though not a refugee, I came to the US as an immigrant. The US has opened doors to refugees from war-torn countries. We should give our support to continuing this tradition," said Chu. "But we also need to make sure the Syrian refugees have nothing to do with any terrorist group by checking their backgrounds in a scientific way. We should not challenge our tradition of receiving refugees."

In response to the controversial resettlement program, the US House of Representatives on Thursday morning passed a bill that tightens restrictions on the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

The House passed the measure 289-137 in a rebuke to the White House. Under the Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act, proposed by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, every refugee from Iraq or Syria will undergo "comprehensive background checks" as well as certification from the nation's top security officials.

The measure still needs approval of the Senate and then President Obama.

The White House said that 2,174 Syrians have been admitted to the US since the attacks in September 2001 and it has proposed admitting at least 10,000 refugees from Syria to the US next year. So far this year, 218 Syrian refugees have arrived in California.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com