The views expressed are his own.
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These governors voiced their concerns after the terrorist attacks in Paris cast a spotlight on the United States process for vetting refugees. We will continue to be involved in providing assistance to these children, women and men.
Last week, the American people spoke and the “People’s House” listened. “The passage of this bill will effectively close our doors to people seeking refuge from barbaric attacks like those that were committed in Paris”.
“Our enemies want to divide the world between Muslims and non-Muslims, ” Albright said, “By making Syrian refugees the enemy, we are playing into their hands”.
“There are lots of false documents available to people to create a new identity”, she said.
His comments were part of an ongoing effort by the Obama administration to address concerns about the safety of taking in refugees from Syria. The State Department says “refugees are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States”.
Straight-talking Chris Christie dodges when he’s asked if existing Syrian refugees should be kicked out of New Jersey. “We continually evaluate whether more precautions are necessary”. That is definitely a challenge…. “We will destroy this terrorist organization”.
This is a moment, then, when it’s better to be safe than sorry.
After those interviews, U.S. Customs and Border Protection receives a manifest of all refugees who are approved to go to the United States, and after that the Department of State and Department of Health and Human Services work to determine where to send the refugee to, transport the refugee and work with the refugee to make him or her self-sufficient.
Dozens of House Democrats joined their Republican colleagues last week in passing a bill to tighten the security screening for Syrian refugees. Then Comey recalled that despite a hefty amount of data from Iraq, the fingerprints of two Iraqis who were admitted as refugees were later found on explosive devices.
Under the act, the Federal Bureau of Investigation director is required to certify each background check, and the secretary of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation director and the director of national intelligence all must agree that each refugee does not pose a security threat. Many Syrian refugees are now living in Houston, Tucson, San Diego, Chicago and Boise.
For every applicant, the Department of State conducts biographic checks of the refugee’s name through several databases, including the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), the Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center and Interpol, which gives the Department information about the person’s criminal and immigration history.
The bill imposes no religious test. It simply insists on greater security. It would be a shame if we squander our claim to moral authority and compassionate humanitarianism just to keep 10,000 desperate Syrians out of our country. “We’ve safely welcomed 3 million refugees since 1975”, he added.
The vice president then said he was going to “set the record straight”. The ultimate solution for this tragic refugee crisis is to defeat and destroy ISIS and clear the path for new leadership in Syria.
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It would be reckless for the Administration and Congress to not take ISIS threats seriously.
