Dear Future President,

There is a growing concern rising in America, and it's rising fast, refugees. The concern, deemed a crisis by many, has been asserting itself a spot in our country for a good while now and its seriousness needs to be addressed. The country is taking in thousands of refugees, they say these people are safe but how can we be positive that the protocol used to vet them is reliable? The process we use needs to be adjusted so we can ensure that taking in this many refugees is safe.

Right away I want to say that people are suffering, this is war, people are dying, which means that innocent civilians lives can be at stake. This isn't something we should sweep under the rug and forget about, but we have to be smart on how we handle it. I’d like to take a turn and talk about information I had found in an article I believe pertains to this issue, “Seven percent of all screened Syrian refugees seeking to resettle in the United States this year have been denied approval and 13 percent of all cases have been put on hold, government officials said friday.” What does this mean? It means that there are refugees getting denied, whether it's because they were suspected of sinister behavior, or just because of prejudice is not known, but there are refugees being kept out.

There's also another topic I would like to talk about, it's the difference of opinion on both sides. This crisis is definitely viewed differently all throughout the United States, with many people suggesting an “open-arms” approach and wanting to bring in many more refugees. While others want to limit or even HALT the amount of refugees we take in. For example, in an article I had found, it states: “The resettlement plan, announced a year ago drew angry protests from Christie and 29 other governors.”This proves there is in fact an opposition to the resettlement plan, it's even drawing government official’s attention and devotion to change how it's unfolding in America, this shows even more how we need to have a process that everyone agrees on and feels comfortable with.

But there's always one thing to consider, this is a war torn, terrorist prone location on Earth, this process must be vigilant, but on the contrary to what many people believe, including myself for a time, it is actually quite strict. From one article I had found about the vetting process it provided this information: “The process, confirmed by the Monitor reporting, includes in person interviews conducted by the Department of Homeland security and the State Department. They then coordinate with intelligence agencies who cross-check applicants with a series of databases, including biometric records.” One thing to note, this process takes a long time, depending, it could take up to 1 to 2 years, or more. Does that mean it's flawless? I believe for this to be a process we can actually rely on, there needs to be a 2 year minimum of extensive testing and background checks, including extensive psychological testing, they need to be proven, 100% without a doubt that they aren't connected in any way to a terrorist organization. So that they don’t even pose a suspected threat to the American people.

Now as I bring this letter to a close, there is one final bit of information I would like to share from one of my articles, “When the fiscal year ended on Sept 30, some 12,587 Syrians had been admitted to the United States-That's more than seven times the number who came in FY2015.” With a large amount of refugees coming into the United States, I believe it should be more clear than ever that our system can only be improved and should be to ensure our safety.

In the end, With thousands of refugees pouring into our country, it's a reminder that a global crisis is unfolding around us, it's a reminder that this crisis need to be handled safely and with heavy consideration. One wrong turn can lead us down a painful road of hurt if we aren't smart on how we bring in, and vet these refugees. That's why I believe with a stricter, more preventative version of the system we have now, we can be more equipped to ensure America’s safety for the future.