While some want to impose additional immigration requirements on Syrians based on the country they come from, or ban them from the state or nation entirely, others in West Virginia are more welcoming to the refugees fleeing the civil war in their country.
Catholic Charities of West Virginia, an agency that works to reduce poverty, has asked the state Department of Health and Human Resources if the organization's grant funding would be adequate to assist in matching 100 Syrian refugees with social services, housing placement and other help in West Virginia if needed, and DHHR has indicated that would be fine, according to Patti Phillips, director of development and marketing for the nonprofit.
"We offer compassion to everyone, and we are following our mission in providing this service," Phillips said.
After a Syrian passport was found near one of the terrorists who attacked Paris on Friday, many have called to halt accepting the Syrian refugees into the country. On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would require top federal officials to sign off on each Syrian immigrant's admittance into the country, and numerous governors have said they won't accept Syrian refugees, even though federal law says such a decision is not within their purview. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has declined to make such a claim.
But others are working to show they support providing refuge for the oppressed. On Tuesday, a group plans to meet at 5 p.m. at Kanawha Boulevard and Court Street in Charleston for "#WVWelcomes - A Public Demonstration of Hospitality." More than 100 people have said they plan to attend on Facebook.
Phillips said the Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services division helps resettle about 50 refugees a year, typically those with family already in West Virginia, but they anticipated greater need because of the crisis in Syria, and as a result Syrians may come who don't have family members here.
"However, we do strive to make sure a network of local community members support the resettlement of the refugee families," she said.
She said the agency does not reach out and ask for refugees to come to West Virginia, but waits to hear from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as to whether their services are needed.
The Conference of Catholic Bishops receives refugee information from the Refugee Processing Center, which is operated by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and national and international security agencies work together to vet the refugees.
Catholic Charities' role is to say what capacity it has.
"We just kind of wait until we get first and second arrival notices," Phillips said.
Joe Solomon is one of the people organizing the demonstration on Tuesday.
"Last I checked, West Virginia was known for its resiliency and hospitality," he said in an email. "We take strangers in and offer solace during crisis. That's what we do. That's what we did with the water crisis, that's how we respond to other disasters. It's in our blood."
As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, Solomon said he was raised to remember the message of "never again."
Solomon said the reaction to accepting Syrian refugees into the United States reminds him of the more than 900 Jews fleeing Nazi Germany aboard the St. Louis in 1939. When the Cuban government would not admit the passengers, they requested admittance to the United States, but federal officials would not loosen immigration restrictions to allow them refuge.
"The Great Depression had left millions of people in the United States unemployed and fearful of competition for the scarce few jobs available," the website of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum states. "It also fueled antisemitism, xenophobia, nativism and isolationism."
More than 250 of the passengers ended up dying in the Holocaust.
"We can't let that happen again," Solomon said. "This is a 'never again' moment."
Solomon said that while many on his Facebook feed are confusing the refugees with terrorists, he sees welcoming them as a way to fight terrorism.
"We can do that by showing the face of terror how compassionate we are - the states who are trying to close their doors will breed more resentment, and reinforce the terrorist logic of fomenting unrest and division. We can fight terrorism by opening our doors and saying, 'welcome' - welcome to the refugees who need us as much as we need them. When countries turned their back on Jews during the Holocaust, the Nazis were able to say 'Look, no one wants you' - reinforcing the Nazi viewpoint, and justifying their atrocious acts. We cannot let that happen this time. Refugees are humans, and they're fleeing nightmares. We're called to open our doors."
Some people had already been working to determine how they could help bring Syrian refugees to West Virginia before the issue consumed the nation's attention last weekend.
Ibtesam Sue Barazi came to the United States as a teenager and stayed to raise three children in West Virginia. John Ellem, who is Syrian and Lebanese, said his family celebrated 100 years here in 2012.
They want people to realize that many Syrian immigrants are already living in the state, actively working and contributing to make West Virginia a better place.
"Every city in Syria is represented here in this small state," Barazi said.
Ellem, a Parkersburg attorney and former delegate, said his family came from a small Christian village north of Damascus.
"They came for the opportunity that they have in this country," he said. "They were successful. It wasn't too many years after they first came here that I had uncles serving in World War II."
They also noted that misinformation is rapidly circulating. For instance, those pressing for heightened security measures may not realize that refugees are already subject to the most rigorous screening of any category of immigrant to the United States. It typically takes 18-24 months. Also, none of the about 2,200 Syrians who have been admitted into the country over the last four years have ever been charged with terrorism.
"I think my grandparents would probably be disappointed to see what is happening with the knee-jerk reaction because it's just not based on facts," Ellem said. "America has accepted refugees from all over the globe. There's no reason to stop and change that now based on misinformation."
Barazi echoed similar thoughts.
"This is a melting pot," she said. "This is the place of opportunity. It's the greatest country in the world. We just need to teach people and we need to educate them."
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.