Speech #1140067409

But we all know that deep down. this does us no good and that it runs afoul of our American ideals. What we must do is focus our efforts on the most likely security threats to our homeland and not scapegoat the thoroughly screened individuals who seek to come to the U.S. through the Waiver Program. We cannot throw a net of suspicion over an entire nation. even as the United States accepts more refugeesincluding Syrians. Our system facilitates the most rigorous screening and security vetting of ANY category of traveler or immigrant to the United States before the refugee sets foot on U.S. soil. Indeed. the Republican bill. H.R. 4038. that passed the House in November would immediately shut down refugee resettlement from the Syria and Iraq region and severely handicap refugee resettlement in the future. To date. there is no reliable evidence that the individuals who committed the heinous attacks in Paris on November 13th were refugees. Currently. the Visa Waiver Program allows citizens from 38 countries from around the world. including the United Kingdom. France. Belgium and Japan. to enter the United States without a visa. One of the main intents of the Visa Waiver Program is to stimulate the U.S. economy by encouraging tourism. cultural exchange. business. and job growth between the United States and our international partners. The travel industry estimates that the VWP contributed $190 billion to our economy in It should be noted that Visa waiver travelers cannot simply grab their passports and hop on the next flight to the United States. Rather. under current law. citizens from participating Visa Waiver Program countries are required to complete a U.S government online security screening form prior to their admission to the United States. These participants also undergo an additional level of screening at the port of entry by a Customs and Border Patrol official. This bipartisan bill provides for specific. concrete changes that will ensure better informationsharing among intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The Program requires screening of all travelers against INTERPOL databases to identify highrisk travelers.