President Barack Obama has a plan to bring in Syrian refugees into America. These refugees are searching for protection from ISIS, which is based in their country, and the fighting that is in the region. Many state governors are not providing placement in their state for the refugees and vow to refuse to let any in.

Now is not the right time for the United States to take in Syrian refugees, for several reasons, the safety of Americans being the biggest.

The Syrians could be possible terrorists. They are coming from a country in which ISIS is based. For instance, when Paris, France, let refugees come into their country, one of those refugees was involved in the terrorist attacks there last month.

This is not to say that every Syrian refugee is a terrorist or is sympathetic to ISIS. It is simply impossible, however, to do a thorough enough background check on every individual who wants to come in. The first priority should be the safety of American citizens.

President Obama has claimed that ISIS is contained, and no longer poses a threat. If this is the case, why do the refugees need out of their country? They are fleeing Syria due to the danger ISIS is, but if it is contained, there is nothing to worry about.

There are bigger problems in our own country to worry about. There are homeless veterans who have served for the U.S. There are homeless families, people without enough to eat, children who need homes and clothes to wear. If we expend all of our resources helping those who are not a part of our country, how much worse will things become for those Americans who already depend on the goodwill of other to survive? We need to find homes for our own homeless before we provide them for refugees, regardless of their backgrounds.

Many people worry that we are not upholding our American values if we turn the refugees away, but there are ways to help that do not involve putting our own citizens at risk, however slight. If Obama wants to uphold American values by helping the refugees, then we should donate money and goods to the efforts of housing these immigrants in their own region.

For safety reasons, America should not be a place where just anyone can walk in and settle. Our country should use it’s time and money focused on helping some of it’s own people in need.