1. a) For what reason is Kansas withdrawing from the federal refugee resettlement program? Be specific.
b) Do you think this is a reasonable concern? Explain your answer.

2. a) For what reason does the reporter think President Obama agreed to admit 10,000 refugees from Syria?
b) Ask a parent: do you think this is the main reason for President Obama’s decision to take in 10,000 refugees? Explain your answer.

3. a) Why are Republicans opposed to President Obama’s decision to accept 10,000 refugees from Syria?
b) Do you think this is a reasonable concern? Explain your answer.

4. How did the anonymous State Department official quoted in the article explain a state’s rights regarding the refugee resettlement program?

5. How did Kevin Griffis from the federal Department of Health and Human Services respond to the Kansas announcement?

6. Do you think the majority of Americans, who are opposed to bringing Syrian refugees to the U.S., have legitimate concerns? Explain your answer.

7. How do you think the Obama administration could reassure the Kansas governor, as well as the majority of Americans, that they should not be concerned about the resettling of 10,000 Syrians in the U.S.?

8. In November 2015, The Washington Post reported:

• According to a new Gallup poll, a tiny fraction of would-be Syrian refugees say their desired home lies in the United States or Canada.
• The survey, which was conducted in January through face-to-face interviews, found that only 6 percent of Syrians who said they were contemplating leaving their country imagined North America as their chosen destination.
• An overwhelming majority, instead, envisioned their future in Europe or elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa.

In December 2015, Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson traveled to a refugee camp in Jordan. He said the Syrian refugees he met during his trip don’t want to come to the United States – they want to go home. Dr. Carson said the United States and its allies must do more to help fund the refugee program that is currently in place in the Middle East.

But refugee advocates and some Democratic members of Congress said taking in an additional 10,000 refugees did not go far enough toward addressing the humanitarian crisis triggered by the war, which has prompted a massive refugee influx into Europe.

With whom do you agree? Explain your answer.

CHALLENGE: In paragraph 7, how does the Reuters reporter downplay the opposition from the majority of Americans to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in their states?