Homeland Security Committee chairman Michael McCaul said the bill introduced late Tuesday would make comprehensive background checks compulsory for every refugee from Syria and Iraq.
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A Bloomberg Politics national poll released Wednesday that was conducted in the aftermath of the Paris attacks found that 53 percent of American adults believe that the best approach for the U.S.to deal with refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria would be to not accept them.
Officials emphasized that screening for Syrian refugees is the most rigorous for any set of travelers wishing to enter the United States, including an interview overseas, biometrics, fingerprinting and biographical investigations to determine if individuals are truly worthy of refugee status or if they pose security risks.
Only around 2,200 Syrian refugees have been allowed into this country in the last four years and they already go through a comprehensive vetting process that can take as much as three years, including biometric screening, fingerprinting and additional classified controls.
House Speaker Paul Ryan urged lawmakers during a floor speech Wednesday to back the measure, which is being brought to the floor only six days after the attacks.
Cynthia Leigh, an immigration attorney in Austin, said advocates for refugees “deplore this sort of announcement”.
“The acts of terror committed over the weekend are a tragic reminder to the world that evil exists and takes the form of terrorists who seek to destroy the basic freedoms we will always fight to preserve”, the governor added.
Governors who oppose Obama’s refugee plan are concerned a few of them might launch attacks against Americans.
“We are one of the most diverse locations in the nation and I celebrate that diversity and I know that so many other people here do as well”, said Lisa Aquino, Executive Director of Catholic Social Services.
“We stay one year two months”, said Fatima Idris. There’s not a high likelihood that they would ever come here.
“There are people with children in their arms who are fleeing terrorists…”
Most of the official statements by Texas Republicans have focused on stopping Syrians from entering the country until the government can guarantee that none of the refugees will harm USA citizens.
“The idea that we’d turn away refugees because of religion is a new low”, she tweeted.
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A third Democratic candidate, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, has called for expanding to 65,000 the number of Syrian refugees allowed in.
