Speech #1140073112

It is because they are desperate and need a place to be safe. It is that basic. So the President has said the United States will accept some of these refugees. Ten thousand is the number he said. Of course. each one of them has to go through a lengthy background check and will be asked all these important questions before they are allowed to come into our country10.000. We know there are millions displaced and we know that that number continues to grow. Isnt it ironic that 10.000the same number Senator Wagner of New York asked for when it came to Jewish children in Germanyis the same number the President has asked for when it comes to Syrian refugees. Sadly for these refugees. and many others. they couldnt have picked a worse time to come to the United States of America because. frankly. we are engaged in a Presidential campaign where many strong statements have been made about these Syrian refugees. It is hard for me to think about what I saw on the island of Lesbosthese families with childrenand to square that with the descriptions I have heard from those who have called them terrorists in training. It couldnt be further from the truth. So this afternoon. at 2:30 p.m. on the Senate floor. we will be asked to vote on a measure relative to the Syrian refugees. Lets call it for what it is. This is an effort to stop any Syrian refugee from coming to the United States regardless of whether it is a mother and a child because what it says is that before they can come to the United States. you have to have the personal signature and personal certification of the Secretary of Homeland Security. the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. and the Director of the Bureau of National Intelligence. It is physically impossible to ask the director of the FBI. who has the responsibility of monitoring FBI activities all across the Nation and around the world. to literally sit down and sign 100 personal certifications a day which would bring us to this goal. This legislation is not designed to make us safer. It is designed to stop Syrian refugees from coming to the United States. I know we are living in a dangerous time in this world. I want us to do everything thoughtfully and sensibly and everything possible to protect the American people from any possibility of terrorism.