--- title: Albright: ISIS Wants Us to Think Refugees Are the Enemy description: The U.S. must do its part to alleviate the crisis canonical: https://time.com/4117333/madeleine-albright-refugees/ author: Madeleine Albright article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-17T23:35:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:09.059Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Madeleine Albright: ISIS Wants Us to Think Refugees Are the Enemy og:description: The U.S. must do its part to alleviate the crisis og:url: https://time.com/4117333/madeleine-albright-refugees/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta05ea4279b6f7bc1/69887196e20a87fab0a8e461/albright.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3804 og:image:height: 2140 og:image:alt: Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright participates in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Madeleine Albright: ISIS Wants Us to Think Refugees Are the Enemy twitter:description: The U.S. must do its part to alleviate the crisis twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta05ea4279b6f7bc1/69887196e20a87fab0a8e461/albright.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:57 video:published: 2015-11-17 section: politics topics: Syrian refugees, U.S. refugee policy, background checks, terrorism concerns, ISIS, religious test, national security, humanitarian protection genre: political debate, news reaction tones: urgent, concerned, defiant, compassionate emotions: concern (high), anger (medium), compassion (medium), fear (medium) sentiment: negative audience: voters, policy observers, news audiences, immigration advocates organizations: White House, Homeland Security, ISIS content_suitability: war [00:00-01:57]; violence [01:38-01:48]; hate [00:00-00:11]; politics [00:00-01:57]; crime [00:53-01:15] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Madeleine Albright: ISIS Wants Us to Think Refugees Are the Enemy > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=9c1f2927-324c-4d3a-a1fa-8c4c5ade022c&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Politicians React to U.S. Policy on Syrian Refugees [Watch (HLS stream): Politicians React to U.S. Policy on Syrian Refugees](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xRGMbKjA.m3u8) (1:57)  _Published 2015-11-17_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary A political video features several unnamed political leaders reacting to U.S. policy on admitting Syrian refugees. Speakers debate whether to welcome refugees fleeing war while raising concerns that terrorists could exploit the process. The clip includes calls for more information from the White House and Homeland Security on background checks and tracking refugees within states. ## Key points - A speaker says a religious test for admitting people fleeing war-torn countries would be shameful and not American. (00:03) - A speaker says the nation will not turn its back on refugees from Syria and Afghanistan, drawing applause. (00:36) - A speaker warns that refugees pouring in from Syria may include ISIS members, saying 'We don't even know who they are.' (00:53) - A speaker says the country must not let terrorists take advantage of its compassion, and that it is better to be safe than sorry. (01:15) - A speaker calls for the White House and Homeland Security to explain the background checks and how states will be informed where refugees settle. (01:24) - A speaker argues the United States and world should go on offense to stop the conditions forcing people to leave Syria. (01:38) - A speaker says their heart wants to let refugees in, but their head says they must protect the people of Alabama. (01:50) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:36] Criticism of religious test for refugees. Speakers condemn suggestions of a religious test for refugees fleeing war and political persecution. - [00:36 to 01:15] Welcoming refugees versus security concerns. Speakers defend the nation's welcoming tradition while warning that refugees could include ISIS members. - [01:15 to 01:57] Calls for background checks and offense. Speakers urge clarity on background checks and state tracking, and call for stopping conditions driving Syrians to flee. ## Key quotes - [00:20] unidentified speaker: "That's not American." - [00:36] unidentified speaker: "we will not turn our backs on the refugees from Syria and Afghanistan" - [00:53] unidentified speaker: "They could be ISIS. They could be anybody." - [01:15] unidentified speaker: "But, we cannot let terrorists take advantage of our compassion." - [01:50] unidentified speaker: "My heart says that we should let them in." ## Questions this video answers - Should the United States admit refugees fleeing war in Syria and Afghanistan? [00:36] - Could refugees from Syria include ISIS members or terrorists? [00:53] - How will states be informed about where refugees are settling? [01:28] - How can the U.S. and world address the reasons people are leaving Syria? [01:38] ## Content suitability - war [00:00-01:57]: Discussion of refugees fleeing war-torn countries, Syria and Afghanistan. - violence [01:38-01:48]: References to people being raped and murdered in Syria. - hate [00:00-00:11]: Mention of a suggested religious test for admitting refugees. - politics [00:00-01:57]: Political debate over refugee admission and national security policy. - crime [00:53-01:15]: Concerns that terrorists could enter among refugees. by [Madeleine Albright](https://time.com/author/madeleine-albright/) ## Madeleine Albright Nov 17, 2015 11:35 PM UTC  Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright participates in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2015. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright participates in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2015. Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Madeleine Albright](https://time.com/author/madeleine-albright/) ## Madeleine Albright Nov 17, 2015 11:35 PM UTC I am deeply disturbed by the calls to shut our nation’s doors to properly vetted Syrian refugees fleeing terrorism and persecution in their native land. These proposals are motivated by fear, not by the facts, and they fly in the face of our country’s proud tradition of admitting refugees from every corner of the globe and every faith background. We have always been a generous nation, and we have in place a rigorous process for refugee resettlement that balances our generosity with our need for security. It works, and it should not be stopped or paused. This issue is personal to me, because it was 67 years ago last week that my family and I arrived in the U.S. to begin a new life in exile from our native Czechoslovakia. I will always feel an immense gratitude to this country, one shared by the millions of other refugees who have come to our shores in the years since—including Eastern European Jews, Hungarians, Vietnamese, Somalis, Cubans and Bosnian Muslims. Today, the Syrian people are in the same position once occupied by these other groups. Their country is being destroyed by despotic leaders and terrorists, and the international community has failed them. They do not want to leave their country, but they have no choice. And while our focus should remain on supporting humanitarian efforts in the region, achieving a political settlement in Syria, and defeating the scourge of ISIS, the U.S. must do its part to alleviate the crisis by resettling some Syrian refugees. If we do otherwise, we will squander our moral authority and hurt our international credibility. Our enemies have a plan. They want to divide the world between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between the defenders and attackers of Islam. By making Syrian refugees the enemy, we are playing into their hands. Instead, we need to clarify that the real choice is between those who think it is OK to murder innocent people and those who think it is wrong. By showing that we value every human life, we can make clear to the world where we stand. ## Transcript [00:00] When I hear political leaders [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [00:03] suggesting that there would be a religious test [00:05] [ BLANK_AUDIO ], [00:08] for which [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [00:11] a [00:13] person who's fleeing from a war torn country is admitted. [00:16] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [00:20] When some of those folks themselves come from families [00:23] who benefited from protection when they [00:27] were fleeing political persecution, that's [00:32] shameful. That's not American. And [00:36] when hundreds of thousands of people have lost [00:40] everything, have nothing left but the shirts on their backs, [00:44] we will not turn our backs on the refugees from Syria and [00:49] Afghanistan. [ APPLAUSE ] Refugees are pouring into our [00:53] great country from Syria. We don't even know who they [00:55] are. They could be ISIS. They could be anybody. What's [00:59] our President doing? Is he insane? We can't act as [01:03] though we're shutting the doors to people in need without [01:08] undermining who we are as Americans and the values we [01:11] have stood for. [ APPLAUSE ] Our nation has always [01:15] been welcoming. But, we cannot let terrorists take [01:18] advantage of our compassion. This is a moment where it's [01:21] better to be safe, than to be sorry. We need to hear from the [01:24] White House and Homeland Security on exactly what [01:28] these background checks are. What they, how they [01:31] communicate to us in the States where these people are [01:34] settling, so we can keep track of exactly what's occurring [01:38] within our states. I believe the United States and the world [01:40] needs to go on offense and stop the reason people have to [01:42] leave Syria. The good people are leaving because they're [01:46] being raped and murdered, and some terrorists are trying [01:48] to get in their ranks. My heart says that we should let them [01:50] in. But my head says that I have to protect the people [01:54] of the state of Alabama and keep them secure. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4117333/madeleine-albright-refugees/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4117333/madeleine-albright-refugees/"},"headline":"Madeleine Albright: ISIS Wants Us to Think Refugees Are the Enemy","datePublished":"2015-11-17T23:35:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:57:09.059Z","description":"The U.S. must do its part to alleviate the crisis","url":"https://time.com/4117333/madeleine-albright-refugees/","keywords":["world affairs","Terrorism","Refugees","National Security"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta05ea4279b6f7bc1/69887196e20a87fab0a8e461/albright.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Madeleine Albright","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/madeleine-albright/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta05ea4279b6f7bc1/69887196e20a87fab0a8e461/albright.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright participates in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2015.","caption":"Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright participates in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2015.","creditText":"Alex Wong—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/world-affairs/","name":"world affairs"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4117333/madeleine-albright-refugees/","name":"Madeleine Albright: ISIS Wants Us to Think Refugees Are the Enemy"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Politicians React to U.S. Policy on Syrian Refugees","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xRGMbKjA/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-11-17T23:15:05.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xRGMbKjA.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4117333/madeleine-albright-refugees/","duration":"PT1M57S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4117333/madeleine-albright-refugees/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```