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News > World

US House Approves Bill That Could Curb Syrian Refugees

  • Migrants wait to access Austria at the border near the village of Sentilj, Slovenia, Nov. 18, 2015.

    Migrants wait to access Austria at the border near the village of Sentilj, Slovenia, Nov. 18, 2015. | Photo: Reuters

Published 19 November 2015
Opinion

U.S. lawmakers seek to impose tighter restrictions on refugee resettlement programs after the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation on Thursday imposing additional screening procedures on refugees from Syria seeking resettlement in the United States.

The legislative measure passed 289-137 despite threats from the White House promising to veto the bill which would significantly slow down the time for refugees to gain entry into the United States.

The bill prevents refugees from Syria and Iraq from entering the country until after the FBI and the Director of National Intelligence jointly inform Congress that the asylum seekers are not a danger to U.S. security.

RELATED: US Governors Do Not Have Power over Accepting Syrian Refugees

The current refugee resettlement process takes between 18 and 24 months.

The president has announced plans to admit at least 10,000 refugees from Syria this fiscal year. Since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, 1,800 Syrians have been given refuge in the United States, though millions need it.

The move to impose tighter restrictions on refugee resettlement programs takes place after terrorist attacks in Paris, despite the reports that all the attackers are believed to be EU citizens.

Leading up to the vote, Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress and one of only two members in the House, criticized the bill calling it “a big mistake.”

"Every time we close off refugees or don't allow refugees, or we say hateful things about them, which (IS) will publicize in the press, we're helping to strengthen their narrative that the West is hypocritical, that the West says we're for helping refugees but we're really not, and, 'They're not letting you in because you're Muslim.'” Ellison told CQ Roll Call.

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