Speech #1140063236

Millions of people have been internally displaced within Syria and outside of its borders into surrounding countries. such as Turkey. Jordan. Lebanon. and elsewhere. and now we are seeing that wave of refugees extend to Europe. and. indeed. some have now made their way to our shores. By allowing ISIS to take over such a large portion of territory. President Obama has neglected one of the key recommendations of the 9111 Commission. which advised the U.S. Government following that fateful day on September 11. 2001. to "identify and prioritize actual or potential terrorist sanctuaries." Instead. the President has stood and watched like a spectator while this terrorist army. over the course of many months. has carved out its own safe haven right in the heart of the Middle East. and in doing so. has erased the border between Syria and Iraq where they control large swaths of territory. The capture of these swaths of territory and the spread of the violent. extremist ideology has not been the only consequence. The civil unrest in Syria has fueled the influx of nearly onehalf million refugees who have flooded Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Under questioning in the House Committee on Homeland Security last month. FBI Director James Comey was asked about the security precautions the Federal Government was taking when screening refugees. Director Comey confirmed what many of us have feared. and that is if a Syrian refugee was not already known to law enforcement and intelligence officials. it is difficult. if not impossible. for us to vet that individuals background for potential terror ties to various terrorist groups. He explained it by saying: "If someone has never made a ripple in the pond in Syria in a way that would get their identity or their interest reflected in our database. we can query our database until the cows come home but . . . there will be nothing . . . because we will have no record on that person." I am proud of our history of opening our doors to innocent people fleeing violence or religious persecution. That is part of who we are as a country. But following Fridays attack. we should pause our Syrian refugee program until we can be sure that the individuals are being fully vetted for potential terror ties so we can ensure the public safety of all Americans. which is our first responsibility. Compassion for those refugees is important. as I said. but protecting our homeland and keeping the American people safer is the first order of business. With the latest public threat from ISIS yesterday directed at us here in the United States. we must remain vigilant against the ongoing threat that may come from those already inside our country. The attack in Paris has drawn attention to the degree to which law enforcement and intelligence officials are able to track. surveil. and apprehend potential threats before they turn deadly. but with changing technology and damaging intelligence leaks. that is becoming increasingly challenging.