The U.S. role in the European migrant crisis?

The continuing and increasing numbers of refugees and migrants is a challenge that is being addressed in an urgent but ad hoc manner by the European Union.  What was probably obvious to those who were close to the issue is being addressed as an unexpected event.  The overwhelming entrance of these migrants(term to be used here although it is realized that there is word parsing among the informed) to Greece and to a lesser extent Italy is not remotely sustainable without some broader and more comprehensive plan.  As these migrants all seek to reach Germany or the Scandinavian countries in particular, there ultimately will not be enough room, and certainly not enough jobs of any quality given the stagnation of much of the European economy.

The allocation of placement within the E.U. is being debated and negotiated.  The role of the United States in this is unclear.  America has been a major choice of migrants from all over the world for a century and a half, but has received and accepted just a few of those surging into Europe from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Libya, and  multiple other countries in North Africa.  The world community will expect the U.S. to play a role, both as a model for others and as an acknowledgement that the country's actions in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, as well as its lack of any leadership to deal with the debacle in Syria have been a contributor to this problem.

On "Meet The Press" yesterday, there was a discussion of the overall crisis, and it was suggested that that a U.N. analysis had determined that countries outside of the E.U. and Middle East should receive 130,000 migrants.  Of that it was said that the U.S. should accept half of that total, obviously 65,000 which is a large number. How those numbers were calculated is unknown, but they are out there in the world of choice and consideration by some.

This will become an issue, without a doubt.  How the U.S. government will react is completely uncertain.  Once some action is discussed or proposed it will enter into the jaws of the nascent but already highly active presidential campaign.  That will be interesting.  Will some candidates oppose accepting any migrants out of fear that they cannot be assimilated and that somewhere among them there could be Middle East terrorists?  This has the possibility of becoming a contest dividing issue, one on which some candidates could stumble or fume with bombast, and maybe most discuss in high minded but completely opaque terms.  How many candidates will support turning their back on the rest of the world?

President Obama and his administration cannot duck having an opinion on this, and proposing a course of action.  It should be meaningful.  Congress will no doubt get involved.  Stay tuned.