In the wake of last Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris, a conversation revolving around the Obama administration’s plan to bring in thousands of Syrian refugees by 2017 is intensifying.

It should be any given nation’s top priority to protect its own citizens above all others. For months, Syrian refugees have been flooding into parts of Europe. Many would argue that the attack does not mean it was due to the Syrian migration to Europe, yet a Syrian passport was found on one of the perpetrators, and based on the statements regarding the closing of French borders, the French government believes the migration had something to do with the attacks.

It remains unclear as to whether the attack was a result of Syrian immigration. But, it is a possibility. Does that mean all Syrians are bad? Certainly not. Does it mean everyone in any given demographic is bad? No. There are bad eggs in every group.

But is it really worth compromising the safety and well being of a country’s citizens for the sake of accommodating a small percentage of people from across the globe that come needing help? The answer is unclear, but the question remains, “Is it worth risking the lives and safety of any nation’s citizens, for the sake of helping a small percentage of people?”

In fact, this could be just what ISIS and other terrorist organizations want — a ploy to smuggle some of their own into nations they openly hate. If they are smart, they see refugees flooding into other nations and send their own into the fold to pose as innocents in order to gain access and residence in said nation. These organizations are constantly recruiting, and potential perpetrators could be innocents at first, but after influenced by terrorists, could be “won over,” leading them to commit attacks in the name of a terrorist organization.

Nowadays, the lines between “good” and “evil” are blurred and true intentions are harder to identify. A nation could take in 1,000 refugees and out of that 1,000, there may be 900 innocents who really do need help and are just in search of a better life. But the remaining 10 percent, those who plan to wreak havoc on the innocent citizens of said nation, are among the innocents that nation brought in. How does one determine who is who?

Yes, you can have a vetting process, but do other nations keep records like those of the United States and more developed nations? Many would argue that the true identities of refugees can be determined. But history has proved time and time again, most notably in the Paris attacks and the 9/11 attacks of 2001, that identifying the true threat is easier said than done.

Monday, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s office issued a statement that North Carolina has little knowledge of what background checks entail for entities like U.S. Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies — that they have “vulnerabilities.” Because of that, McCrory said, Syrian refugees are not welcome in the state of North Carolina. McCrory joins more than half the governors of all 50 United States who have said they would not willingly accept Syrian refugees.

Many would argue that the Obama administration’s plan to accept Syrian refugees may turn out to be a serious mistake. God forbid, a terrorist attack happen on American soil again. Are the lives of the many really worth risking for the sake of the lives of a few? The answer to that is yet to be found in the U.S. Unfortunately for France, the question was answered with the loss of 129 innocent lives.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks and their families.