Paris attacks strengthen refugee policy + provoke Islamophobia

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By AsiaToday reporter Goh Jin-ah - European and American governments are expected to tighten their refugee policies as two of the Paris terrorists are revealed to have sneaked into France via Greece by posing as refugees.

AFP reported that two of the suspected Paris attackers had been registered in Greece as refugees and came to France after analyzing fingerprints and passports at the main site of Friday's carnage, heating up debates over refugee policy.

The Associated Press explained, "The news that some of the assailants in the Paris attacks may have crossed into Europe with refugees fleeing Syria is raising the fierce debate over Europe's immigration policy to a new pitch."

In fact, European countries have been already making actions to strengthen their refugee policies even before Friday's attacks in Paris. Germany is reintroducing the Dublin Regulation for Syrians that the country has been retaining.

Sweden, which has been carrying out relatively generous refugee policy, announced on Thursday that it was introducing border controls for ten days. Other Nordic countries such as Finland and Norway strengthened their border controls and immigration management.

The Slovenian government has recently started to construct a fence along parts of its border with Croatia to control migrant flow.

The Polish government announced that it cannot accept migrants after Paris attacks.

Experts say that terrorist attacks in Paris, which are found to be done by Islamic extremists, are going to trigger more anti-Islam sentiments.

Syrian refugee Abdul Seram (31) said, "I'm afraid that I would be considered a potential terrorist." Despite her refugee policy change from embracing to controlling refugees, criticism over German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door approach in the refugee crisis is mounting.

The Associated Press said, "There will be growing skepticism n Germany and abroad, and not just by those on the far right who have long opposed immigration."

The United States is no exception. President Barack Obama's plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees during fiscal year 2016 is under fire after Friday's attacks in Paris.