Vice President Joe Biden stood in for the president in the first weekly radio address since the Nov. 13 Paris attacks, and used the opportunity to champion the cause of admitting Syrian refugees in the United States.
“This past week, we’ve seen the best and worst of humanity,” Biden said. “We’ve heard an awful lot of people suggest that the best way to keep America safe is to prevent any Syrian refugee from gaining asylum.”
“There is no possibility of being overwhelmed by a flood of refugees landing on our doorstep tomorrow,” Biden said.
“Refugees face the most rigorous screening of anyone who comes into the United States,” Biden said. “The Department of Homeland Security … the FBI, the Counterterrorism Center, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State, they all have to sign off.”
“And unlike in Europe, refugees don’t set foot in the United States until they are thoroughly vetted,” Biden continued. “Refugees wait 18-24 months while the screening process is completed.”
The issue of admitting Syrian refugees has been hotly debated in the United States in the wake of the November Paris attacks that killed 130 people. House Republicans and a portion of House Democrats passed a bill this week that would tighten the restrictions Syrian refugees face when seeking asylum in the U.S. The administration opposes their efforts.
