Last night I attended the meeting of the Craven County Board of Commissioners. One item on the meeting agenda was a discussion of a proposed draft resolution on refugees from terrorist nations. The substitute amendment, which was voted on, basically stated that because proper vetting of refugees from areas controlled by terrorist organizations is impossible, the Craven County Board of Commissioners opposes the relocation of these refugees to Craven County. The resolution has no enforcement mechanism, but does make a statement to those concerned with refugee resettlement that these refugees are not welcome in Craven County.

One of the main concerns of the people speaking for the resolution at the meeting was the safety of the people who currently reside in Craven County. Craven County is close to two major military installations, and our military has warned some residents of the county that they are terrorism targets. It is also noteworthy that one of the 911 hijackers took his flight training in Craven County. Evidently, we are already on the terrorists’ map.

The meeting was very well run, and personal attacks were discouraged. In spite of that, at various times during the evening those who supported the resolution were described as bigots, racists, unchristian, and uncaring. There seemed to be very little concern on the part of those opposing the resolution for the safety of those currently living in Craven County. At one point a person opposing the resolution stated that they were more afraid of American’s political right wing than they were of terrorism.

The resolution passed on a 6 to 1 vote. Although I respect the Commissioner who voted against the resolution, I feel that voting against the resolution was not in line with the oath he took to protect his constituents. There is a reason that countries in the Middle East are refusing to take these refugees. In September of 2015, Luay Al Khatteeb, a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution, posted the following map on Twitter:

We do need to be compassionate in dealing with refugees from countries that have been taken over by terrorists, but we also need to consider our own safety. The ideal scenario would be to provide these refugees a place to live somewhere near their home countries so that after the hostilities in their home countries cease, they can go home and help rebuild their country. This is the effort we need to support.