American's fears about accepting Syrian refugees are growing.

A recent public opinion research poll shows that one in two Americans now believe that we should close our borders to refugees entirely. That's up two points over last month.One of the big objectives of the terrorist group ISIS is to raise the fear level in the U.S. and that's certainly working. Nine of every 10 Americans polled feel that the threat of an attack on this country in the next 12 months is real, and nearly the same percentage fear an international war.The attacks in Paris have opened new debate on the security checks that Syrian refugees should go through before being resettled. Officials say that on average it's 18 to 24 months before a refugee is approved for admission to this country but with the heightened threat level by ISIS, many feel accepting Syrians would be a Trojan horse for would-be terrorists.Most Democrats argue that the current vetting process is fine. The administration argues that half of those who have been admitted are children, about a quarter of them are adults over 60, and that only 2 percent are single males of combat age.But Republicans argue that even that small percentage should make us pause with the current vetting process. Last week the House passed a bill to halt Syrian and Iraqi refugees from resettling in the U.S. unless they've been individually certified by the heads of the nation's key national security agencies - the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence - as not posing a threat to the country.The vote was bipartisan, with 47 Democrats favoring the Republican-sponsored bill. Pennsylvania's 18 congressmen voted along party lines. Two out of three Americans are opposed to admitting Syrian refugees.Regarding Pennsylvania's open door policy for refugees, Congressman Lou Barletta of the 11th congressional district sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf, urging him to reconsider his plans to accept Syrian refugees. Barletta, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, advised Wolf to heed the warnings of national security experts that the vetting process is inadequate and flawed.Even FBI Director James Comey admitted that "gaps" in the vetting process are worrisome. Other experts say U.S. intelligence in Syria isn't very good because the U.S. lacks much of a presence on the ground so there's no way to compile a thorough watch list of possible terrorists from Syria against which refugees can be checked.Barletta reminded Gov. Wolf that one of the attackers in the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist assaults is believed to have entered the European Union through Greece as a Syrian refugee.He noted that 31 governors of other states have decided to reject the settlement of refugees and asked Wolf to do the same."With all these facts considered, I appeal to your concern for the safety of your fellow Pennsylvanians and ask that you reverse your policy of accepting the so-called 'Syrian refugees.' " Barletta wrote to Wolf.Sen. Pat Toomey also stated that while most refugees are innocent people in dire situations, we have no reliable way to fully vet those who come from chaotic terrorist havens such as Syria and determine with full confidence that there are no security risks among them.Both Barletta and Toomey are both in agreement with Rep. David Scott of Georgia, one of the 47 Democratic crossover voters who favor a more intense vetting process."I want to be nice to the world, but I want to be nice to my people first," Scott said after casting last Thursday's vote that bucked the president and most of his party.Every lawmaker, from president down, needs to push politics and ideology aside and make certain that the safety of Americans comes first.By JIM ZBICK |

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