Speech #1140073188

Throughout our history. we have recognized that even in times of war we were fighting leaders of authoritarian regimes and not their victims. From 1945 to 1952. we resettled 400.000 displaced persons from Nazicontrolled areas in Europe. In the fall of Saigon in 1997. the United States rescued 883.000plus refugees who fled Vietnam. a country with which we had been in a state of undeclared war that claimed 58.000 American lives. Between 1970 and 1991. we resettled 200.000 Jews from the Soviet Union. the very government which posed the greatest security threat the United States has ever known. In addition. we have resettled hundreds of thousands of refugees from Cuba and other countries behind the Iron Curtain. This Republican bill we considered today dishonors our proud history of providing a safe haven. History can also be harsh and unsentimental. This bill risks repeating mistakes of the past when the United States tragically turned away Jewish refugees in World War II. After the photo of Aylan Kurdi. the 3yearold who was washed up on the beach. was published in the news media. the American people opened their hearts to the Syrian people. The American people recognize the distinction between those who are victims of terror and those who perpetrate it. We should not let kneejerk reactions keep us from being the beacon of hope for Syrians and other refugees in the Middle East. Africa. and around the world. We should do what we do bestour values. We should never compromise homeland security. We need to do everything we can to keep Americans safe. We need to make sure we have the strictest vetting procedures for anyone who wants to come to this country as a refugee or a visitor. We could always do a better job. and we have to do more to understand why Americans have been converted to radicalization through the Internet and what has happened on social media. Yes. we need to do a much more effective job of keeping America safe and the homeland safe. but shutting down the Syrian refugee program would be a major mistake for our values of who we are as a nation and for our national security. I yield the floor.