Velazquez Opposes Bill to Turn Away Refugees

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) today voted against legislation that would largely shut the door on refugees fleeing violence in Syria. The bill, H.R. 4038, authored by House Republicans, would place a moratorium on Syrian refugees entering the United States potentially for years, while security standards that are largely duplicative of existing protocols are developed. Velázquez said the legislation is a political response to the recent violence in France that would leave many desperate, innocent refugees in the cold without meaningfully enhancing U.S. security.

“We can keep our nation safe, while continuing to accept refugees who are fleeing the crisis in Syria,” Velázquez noted. “Turning our back on families with children desperately seeking our assistance would be a betrayal of our values and hand ISIS an enormous victory.”

Since October 2013, about 2,200 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the United States. Half of these Syrian refugees are children – families driven from their homes by the savage war in Syria and ISIS’s brutal rule. A quarter of these refugees are adults over 60. These 2,200 Syrian refugees have proven to be law-abiding residents of the United States.

“Slamming the door shut on law abiding refugees when they most need assistance is not a way to enhance national security, but it is political demagoguery,” Velázquez added. “These families are fleeing ISIS’ terror and we have a humanitarian obligation help them.”

The United States already has a strict security screening and vetting process for refugees entering the country. Today, refugees of all nationalities, including Syrians and Iraqis, considered for admission to the United States undergo the most rigorous and through screening and security vetting of any category of traveler or immigrant to the United States.

Unlike in Europe, the United States screens all refugees for 18-24 months before they even set foot on U.S. soil. The current screening process involves multiple federal intelligence, security, and law enforcement agencies, including the National Counterterrorism Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Departments of Homeland Security, State, and Defense, all aimed at ensuring that those admitted do not pose a threat to our country. The screening includes biometric (fingerprint) and biographic checks, medical screenings, and lengthy interviews. Syrian refugees go through additional levels of security screening, including a thorough pre-interview analysis of each individual refugee application.

“This legislation would abandon thousands of innocent refugees fleeing political violence in order to institute duplicative screening standards that already exist,” Velázquez added. “It is unconscionable and I felt morally compelled to vote no.”

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