Speech #1140073025

This is not an issue we can take lightly. despite the plea from President Obama in his State of the Union Address. We cannot allow Americas welcome mat to become a doormat for radicalized Islamic extremists who are hardwired to kill innocent people and destroy our way of life. Unless and until the United States can figure out a foolproof screening process to prevent terrorists from masquerading as refugees to infiltrate our neighborhoods and our communities. President Obama needs to listen to the concerns voiced by more than half of the Nations Governors. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on both sides of Capitol Hill. and the American people from across the entire country. After the September 11 attacks. we paused our refugee admission program to reassess its security vetting procedures. so there is precedent for suspending the refugee program. and this bill does not suspend the refugee programonly in regard to the single instance that I know. that is. we have been threatened that people were going to be snuck into the country under the umbrella of refugee. and of course that is from Iraq and Syria. We need to move cautiously in accepting refugees from Iraq and Syria given the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. CA. and even elsewhere around the world. We need to fully understand the risks and the schemes that these terrorists are using before we open our doors to 10.000 more Syrians. Other countries face the same challenge. Just last week. the French Interior Minister warned his colleagues about the intent of the Islamic State to use authenticlooking Syrian and Iraqi passports to smuggle its operatives into Europe. There is no doubt that the group has obtained thousands of blank passports and intends to facilitate travel by counterfeiting those documents. but more importantly. we must consider a pause in accepting these refugees until we can be sure our background checks and investigations are the best they can be. However. today there is little doubt. even from our leading intelligence officials that we may not be able to stop a Parislike attack because we cannot tell who among the thousands of Syrian refugees that the administration wishes to resettle here are terrorists. The Director of the FBI. James Comey. said: "My concern is that there are certain gaps . . . in the data available to us" in screening Syrian refugees. This data. such as fingerprints. background or biographic information. is crucial for adequate screening of potential refugees entering the United States. Director Comey also said: "There is risk associated with bringing anybody in from the outside. but especially from a conflict zone like that." The United States has been successful in fighting off many largescale terrorist attacks on our soil. but of course it only takes one mistake. Just last month. the FBI arrested two individuals who reside in the United States and entered the country as refugees. one of whom was arrested for attempting to knowingly and willfully provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. A Federal agent testified last week that one of the men charged planned to set off bombs at two Houston malls. I asked for the immigration and criminal histories of these individuals to investigate further and satisfy myself. and I am still waiting for their response. The concerns are real. The threats are real. We cannot jeopardize our national security simply by rolling out our welcome mat to these terrorists. President Obamas lack of strategy in Syria has exacerbated this human catastrophe. Similarly. this administration has no inclination or strategy to create conditions where refugees can one day return home safely to their own homes. By housing these refugees. the United States is only aiding in a shortterm treatment of this whole massive refugee problem and the problems of warfare in the Middle East while at the same time risking the safety of the American people. We must instead focus on defeating ISIS and alleviating the current humanitarian misery. all while creating a future for Syrian refugees in their homeland. The No. 1 responsibility of the U.S. Federal Government is to protect the homeland and to secure the country against all threats.