Discrimination against Christian refugees

The Obama administration has indignantly rejected suggestions that the United States favor Christians and other persecuted religious minorities among the Syrian refugees.  But think tanker Kyle Shideler gives evidence that there is already a religious test, one that is stacked against Christians.  He documents  systematic discrimination against Christian refugees.

See Kyle Shideler, Center for Security Policy | The Refugee Resettlement Process is Already Discriminatory.

Here are some highlights of his report:

Christians fleeing religious persecution make up 16-23% of the refugees, but only 2.5% of those being allowed to come into the United States.

Part of the problem is that a United Nations agency–not American officials–determines who gets to go to America, and Islamic pressure groups have a big influence at the UN.  In any event, Christian refugees avoid the UN camps because of many cases of violence against them from the Muslims.

And the State Department itself is resistant to any efforts to specifically help Christians.  A private agency offered to completely fund a program to resettle Assyrian Christians at no cost to taxpayers.  That offer was rebuffed by the State Department.