We’ll never fix Syria. The Middle Eastern country is a war-torn, bloody mess gripped by civil war and falling apart at its seams. That’s why President Trump is right to have just pulled American troops out of northern Syria and ought to get all of our troops out of the country in short order.
We were able to displace and destroy ISIS, but we can’t un-break a broken nation.
That doesn’t mean we should just throw our hands up and watch the Kurds, our allies against ISIS, be slaughtered after our exit from Syria. Yes, ultimately, U.S. foreign policy must point to American interests first and not attempt to fix the world’s many ills. Yet, we can still do our part to help — not by occupying Syria in perpetuity but by increasing our refugee cap and welcoming Kurds who face persecution.
Congress has delegated much of the power of refugee admissions to the executive, so this means Trump has the power to increase the cap on refugees unilaterally and welcome more Kurdish refugees.
The Washington Examiner editorial board has already rightfully pointed out how refugees do not pose a significant national security threat and contribute more economically than they take in the long run. Add this to Trump’s stated desire to see a good outcome for the Kurds, and the solution is clear.
But so far, Trump hasn’t pursued the obvious solution, in fact, he’s set it back. He has slashed the refugee cap from 30,000 to 18,000; a harsh immigration reduction that offers no discernible policy payoff. In light of the situation with the Kurds, Trump should rethink this decision and instead make a marked increase in refugee admissions.
During the last year of the Obama administration, the cap was set at 110,000. This is a large number relative to current levels, but we weren’t exactly overrun with refugees — not even close.
Trump should return us to at least this level, and use his authority to designate a large number of the slots for Kurdish refugees. Of course, we can’t and shouldn’t absorb the entire Kurdish population into the United States, but there’s no reason not to show compassion in our immigration approach to help offset the consequences of the hard but necessary choices we must make in our foreign policy.
Putting America first doesn’t have to mean going it entirely alone. We should do what we can to help the Kurds, even while putting our national security first and pulling our military out of Syria, no matter the local political consequences.
