Door Slammed On Syria Refugees – Democrats Defy Obama And Vote To Turn

Referencing comments made by Republican candidates for president this week that called for a national registry of all Muslims and compared refugees to “rabid dogs”, Nazer warned, “Who knows where this inflammatory rhetoric can lead”.

Speakers said of the more than 4 million Syrians who have fled their country, fewer than 2,000 have been resettled in the United States since 2011. Cruz stated that he would only permit the admission of Christian refugees from Syria -a proposal that is not included in the House bill.

The bill could die in the Senate, but the clash over refugees continues.

The White House on Saturday defended how the United States accepts Syrian refugees, telling Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad the security process is “extraordinarily thorough and comprehensive”.

The White House dispatched Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to Capitol Hill to meet with Democrats, but several lawmakers said their arguments were unconvincing.

In the letter, the White House underscored its commitment to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees, the overwhelming number being families, victims of torture and children.

“I think we should have tough vetting standards”.

The House voted to tighten the screening procedures for Syrian refugees entering the nation for resettlement despite the objection of US President Barrack Obama. It would oblige the heads of the Federal Bureau of Investigation 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”.

Nevertheless, the bill now awaits its fate from the Senate but there is likelihood that it may not receive a majority vote going by the 60-vote supermajority required by the Senate rules to put a bill under consideration.

Some Republicans have said some refugees could be militants bent on attacking the United States, noting reports that at least one Paris attacker may have slipped into Europe among migrants registered in Greece.

It’s the sort of absurd and grossly cynical exploitation of public anxiety over terrorism that the Republicans of ten years ago used to strengthen their political grip on national security issues, and it has a misleading sheen of credibility thanks to the four dozen Democrats who voted in favor of this very bad bill.

Refugees from Syria and Iraq entering the US may be subject to new vetting and certification requirements so strict they effectively amount to a ban on any intake of refugees from those countries, as reported by Vox.

Should the US keep its doors open to refugees from Syria and Iraq? “We might as well take down the Statue of Liberty”.

“America has a proud tradition of being the most generous nation in the world, and we will maintain our ongoing commitment to provide humanitarian aid to innocent Syrians where we can and seek to assist them in finding refuge in places closer to their homeland”.