Doubling down on a controversial policy opposed by many governments and localities, the White House told a National Association of Counties task force that it was looking to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the country.

Washington Examiner:

The White House is quietly pushing for an increase in refugees from Syria, despite new concerns raised by state and county officials that federal help is often missing when they arrive.

President Obama's assistant for immigration policy told a task force set up by the National Association of Counties that the U.S. is eyeing a bigger role to help alleviate the growing crisis.

"We want to make sure that we can increase our numbers of refugees that are able to settle here," Felicia Escobar said. "The need globally is so, so, so massive right now, given all the displacement and conflict around the world, but we also know that we have to do it in a way that's smart."

The issue has become a flashpoint in the presidential race and among governors who are concerned that Washington won't properly vet the refugees to weed out terrorists.

But locally, it's an issue of money and support. Sean Conway, a county commissioner from Weld County in Greeley, Colo., said he has had to "fight" with the State Department to get promised services such as healthcare and interpreters. Worse, he added, "Many times we don't even know that relocation is taking place until it's going on."

It's worth repeating that most of these refugees would be far happier in an Arab Muslim country.  But as we've seen, the Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and countries like Indonesia are simply refusing to take their fair share of migrants. 

The Arab and Muslim countries resist taking the refugees for exactly the same reason that we should resist: they don't want potential terrorists in their midst any more than we do.  And yet we're called heartless and racist for simply exercising common sense.  Authorities in Europe say that hundreds of recent arrivals are probably associated with ISIS and other jihadist groups.  Why some Americans are eager to emulate the Europeans in this regard is a mystery.