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Hudson bill passes, would pause flow of Syrian, Iraqi refugees

November 19, 2015

WASHINGTON —The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelming approved a bill introduced by North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson that would put in place new hurdles for Syrian and Iraqi refugees trying to enter the United States.

The American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act of 2015 was introduced Monday by Hudson and Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security. Hudson, a Republican from Concord, represents District 8 in North Carolina, which includes most of Robeson County.

Despite a veto threat from President Barack Obama, dozens of Democrats joined Republicans to pass the measure 289-137. That margin exceeds the two-thirds majority required to override a [presidential veto, and it came despite a rushed, early morning visit to the Capitol by top administration officials in a futile attempt to limit Democratic defections.

The measure, which in effect would suspend admissions of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, would require the FBI to conduct background checks on people coming to the U.S. from those countries. It would oblige the heads of the FBI and Homeland Security Department and the director of national intelligence to certify to Congress that each refugee “is not a threat to the security of the United States.”

Hudson said in a statement following the vote that the “people’s House has spoken.”

“Today’s strong bipartisan vote doesn’t say stop Syrian and Iraqi refugees and don’t ever let them in again. It says pause the program unless and until the top security officials in the United States are comfortable that we have a safe and reliable process and the American people can be assured that terrorists aren’t exploiting our country’s compassion by posing as refugees,” he said.

The vote came six days after a burst of bombings and shootings in Paris killed 129 people, wounded many more and revived post-9/11 jitters in the U.S. and Europe. The attacks have turned the question of admitting people fleeing war-torn Syria and Iraq into a high-stakes political issue in both the United States and Europe, and many congressional Democrats were willing to vote against their party’s lame-duck president for fear of angering voters nervous about security at home.

Democrats opposing the GOP bill said the U.S. has no business abandoning its age-old values, including being a safe haven for people fleeing countries racked by violence. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks and controls vast swathes of Syria and Iraq, despite a growing military campaign against them by the U.S. and other nations.

“Defeating terrorism should not mean slamming the door in the faces of those fleeing the terrorists. We might as well take down the Statue of Liberty,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.

Republicans said that in dangerous times, the government must first protect its own.

“It is against the values of our nation and the values of a free society to give terrorists the opening they are looking for” by not tightening entry restrictions, said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

Hudson promoted the measure in an appearance on Fox News’ “On the Record” Wednesday night, calling it “common sense legislation.”

“No one is saying that we ought to block folks based on their religion or give preference to folks based on their religion. All we’re saying is, let’s put a vetting process in place …,” he said.

Whether that bill could reach the White House remained unclear. At least six Democrats would have to join Republicans to push it through the Senate and 13 Democrats would be needed for a veto-proof tally.

“Don’t worry, it won’t get passed,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters.

One top Senate GOP aide said it was unlikely that chamber would consider the House bill. The aide said senators were more concerned about potential weak spots in a program that lets foreigners enter the U.S. without visas from 38 countries for short stays.

In a statement assuring a veto, the White House said the GOP bill would not improve Americans’ security. It said the legislation “would unacceptably hamper our efforts to assist some of the most vulnerable people in the world, many of whom are victims of terrorism, and would undermine our partners in the Middle East and Europe in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis.”

Currently, the refugee screening process typically takes 18 to 24 months and includes interviews, fingerprinting and database crosschecks by several federal agencies. Syrians undergo additional screening involving data from the U.N. Refugee Agency and interviews by Homeland Security Department officials trained to question Syrians.

The Obama administration wants to increase the 70,000 refugees to be admitted from around the world this year by 10,000, with much of the increase for Syrians.

The White House said that of 2,174 Syrians admitted to the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, none has been arrested or deported because of allegations they harbored extremist ambitions.