Almost 400,000 Syrian migrants have reached Europe this year, fleeing a civil war that has torn their country apart and put major political pressure on the EU's leaders—and borders.
But being rational about the distribution of migrants can alleviate that pressure, said homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem, host of the "Security Mom" podcast.
"Even if you multiplied the number of refugees by four, that's still less than 1% of the EU's overall population," she said. "The problem is uneven distribution."
The number of migrants, while seemingly large, represents only 0.03% of Europe's total population.
That influx of young migrants could even serve as a boon to Europe's aging populations, Kayyem argued, by replenishing workforces that are, in many countries, aging out.
"If you evenly distributed this problem it would be negligible. In fact, if you were rational about it, it would even be helpful," she said.
The United States could also play a role in that distribution. Currently, the United States has accepted 1,500 refugees, and has pledged to increase that number to 5,000-8,000 next year. Kayyem argued we can—and should—be doing a lot more, not only to help the migrants themselves but to prevent the swell of anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe.
"It's a no-brainer at this stage, if only to calm Europe, which is going to get more radicalized in terms of right-wing anti-immigrant sentiment," she said.
"I don't like a Europe like that," she continued. "We know what happens."
To hear more from homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem, tune in to Boston Public Radio above.
