Republican lawmakers leaving a closed-door meeting in the Capitol on Tuesday argued that the House should revive legislation that would temporarily halt the influx of refugees from Syria, Iraq and other hotbeds of terrorism.
“Right now, we should suspend all refugees coming from Syria, Iraq and any countries involved in a war where ISIS is a factor,” Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told the Washington Examiner. “I just feel that we do not have a proper vetting system. We cannot be sure we are keeping ISIS terrorists from being included in the refugees that are coming in.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said he also backs a temporary halt in refugees from countries with a significant Islamic State presence.
“That would still be my view,” Nunes said. “There is no possible way you can vet all of these refugees who I have a high confidence level that some are getting through the cracks. And it only takes one or two bad ones and you have a major problem. So the process needs to be revamped.”
Last year, the House passed with broad bipartisan support a bill that would have effectively halted incoming Syrian and Iraqi refugees by requiring intensive scrutiny by top national security officials.
The legislation never made it into law because President Obama opposed it and blocked it from being included in a must-pass federal spending bill.
House Republican leaders told reporters Tuesday they are moving legislation that would improve the vetting process for refugees, including the Counterterrorism and Screening Assistance Act, which passed the House Monday night.
Leaders have not scheduled a vote on House Judiciary Committee legislation that would cut the number of refugees from 85,000 annually to 60,000 and would require federal officials to step up vetting procedures.
House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attacks in Brussels, calling on the United States to “confront this threat together and defeat terror.”