Lujan Statement on Republican Syrian Refugee Bill
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District released the following statement today after voting against House Republicans’ Syrian refugee bill.
“The horrific attacks in Paris remind us that our first responsibility must be to protect the safety and security of our people. The United States must act to keep our country safe and defeat ISIL, while living up to the ideals of our great nation.
“The legislation that was before us today, which tries to close the door on an entire group of people based solely on their country of origin, shuts out vulnerable women and children trying to escape the brutality and violence of ISIL. It does not make our nation safer, nor does it live up to our values as the greatest and freest country in history.
“Refugees are required to undergo a stringent security process that includes intensive vetting through biographical and biometric information. This process takes on average between 18 and 24 months, and can take as long as three years. If U.S. security agencies are unable to verify the details of their story, they cannot enter the United States. It is important to remember that refugees from Syria who are fleeing the deadly violence of ISIL will be subjected to the strictest level of scrutiny, and many of them will be turned away because they cannot be fully vetted. Of the 23,000 refugees who have been referred for review from the United Nations, only 2,000 have been granted access, half of whom are children. Moving forward, we must work together to use all of our tools to defeat ISIL and the extremism it fuels.”
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