Three top security panel Democrats condemned a Republican bill scheduled for a Thursday vote that would halt Syrian and Iraqi refugees from coming to the United States.
Reps. Adam Schiff, of California, Bennie Thompson, of Mississippi, and Zoe Lofgren, of California, who are the top Democrats on the Intelligence and Homeland Security committees and the Judiciary committee’s Immigration and Border Security subcommittee, respectively, said the GOP bill would keep out Iraqi and Syrian refugees for years.
“The House Republican legislation would immediately shut down all refugee resettlement from Syria and Iraq, possibly for many years, and severely handicap future refugee resettlement around the world,” the lawmakers said.
Their criticism came soon after House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., came to the House floor to ask lawmakers to back the legislation, which he called a “common sense” measure aimed at ensuring no terrorists slip into the country as part of the refugee program.
The GOP bill would keep out any refugee from Iraq or Syria until federal intelligence and Homeland Security officials can certify they have been thoroughly vetted and do not pose a threat to U.S. security.
The three critical Democrats argued in their statement that the refugee vetting process currently takes up to two years.
“Refugees, and refugees from this region specifically, already undergo a far more rigorous screening process than anyone else seeking admission to this country, including background checks, national security vetting, biometric identifiers and interviews,” the three Democrats argued.
But Republicans cite recent testimony from FBI Director James Comey, who told Congress in October the government is unable to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of Syrian refugees who are fleeing a war-torn nation.
Ryan said the GOP bill would require a new standard of verification to filter out terrorists.
“We can be compassionate and we can also be safe,” Ryan said Wednesday. “That is what the bill we are bringing up is all about.”
