Mr. Speaker. I rise today to express my concern and opposition to the Republican Syrian refugee bill. This restrictive and misguided legislation would immediately shut down the current refugee resettlement and cripple our refugee programs for the future. I represent Orange County. California. one of the historically known areas of resettling refugees from all around the world. We are ready. We are ready. Once this administration has taken a look at the backgrounds. has done the extensive research that they do with respect to somebodys background. we are ready to help resettle these refugees. Refusing to resettle any Syrian refugees would inadvertently empower Daesh and boost their recruitment abilities among vulnerable populations struggling to survive. We cannot let Daesh push us to succumb to fear and to prejudice. These Syrian refugees are fleeing the same violence that we have seen in Paris and Beirut and Baghdad this last week. Threequarters of them are women and children. A quarter of them are over 60 years of age. Refugees are not the enemy. So remember the words on our Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired. your poor. your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
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