Help refugees “in place”?

A letter to the editor in last week’s Reporter suggested that, in lieu of allowing refugees from countries such as Syria into the U.S., we should instead establish “safe areas” in their home countries where food, shelter, etc. could be provided.  This suggestion is hopelessly naïve.  Syria is in the midst of what is essentially a civil war and their government cannot provide any measure of security; large parts of the country are under the control of ISIS (or ISIL), which has committed heinous acts of atrocity against Syrians.  People are leaving in droves, on foot, with only the possessions they can carry with them.  Parallels with Nazi Germany are evident; some Jews and other oppressed minorities were able to flee Germany and resettle safely in other countries.  Would the letter writer have suggested then that instead “safe areas” should have been established for the Jews within Germany?  We all know how that would have turned out.  All western democracies must figure out a way to open our doors to these refugees.  Recent events have demonstrated that we have just as much to fear from terrorists coming from countries other than the Middle East or even from within our own.

L McCrone, Bellevue