Miss. Republicans back bill to block Syrian refugees

WASHINGTON - Mississippi Republican lawmakers joined their House colleagues in approving a bill Thursday that would block Syrian refugees from coming to the United States until they undergo a more stringent vetting process.

The legislation, approved 289-137, was rushed to a vote in response to last week's terrorist attacks in Paris. One terrorist is believed to have entered Europe through Greece with a group of Syrian refugees, sparking calls by congressional leaders to "pause" the flow of refugees from Syria and Iraq into the U.S.

U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo called the bill a “powerful first step to stopping dangerous terrorists from reaching our soil.’’

But Democrats in the Senate have vowed to block the legislation there, and President Obama has promised to veto it if it reaches his desk.

U.S. Rep. Benne Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, urged colleagues to oppose the GOP bill. He led an unsuccessful effort to push his Democratic alternative that would have continued the refugee resettlement program, but beefed up vetting requirements.

“The people we’re talking about … they really don’t have a country,’’ Thompson said on the House floor.

Miss.GOP lawmakers support ban on Syrian refugees

Bryant vows 'everything humanly possible' to block refugees

Thompson, the only Democrat in the Mississippi delegation, said Syrian refugees are fleeing violence, including torture and rape.

“We are a nation of values. My bill speaks to those values,’’ he said. “It does not pause the process. It does not create a moratorium to the process. It adds an additional layer of security without stopping the refugee program.’’

In addition to congressional action, Gov. Phil Bryant and more than two dozen other governors, mostly Republicans, have pledged to fight efforts to resettle Syrian refugees in their states.

Thompson said the governors, including Bryant, “chose fear over facts.’’

Supporters of the Republican American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act said it would help ensure that Islamic State terrorists will not slip into the U.S. along with refugees.

The bill would require the nation’s three top security officials — the Homeland Security secretary, FBI director and national intelligence director — to certify to Congress that each Syrian and Iraqi refugee doesn't pose a security threat before those refugees are allowed into the country.

"We are a nation at war," said Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who introduced the bill with Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C. "We must take decisive action to show the American people that we are doing all we can to protect them."

The White House has says the bill would create significant delays and obstacles for refugees without providing meaningful additional security for Americans.

Palazzo, a former member of the Homeland Security Committee, challenged Obama’s veto threat.

“I dare the president to veto this bill because he is angrier at Republicans than he is terrorists. I dare him to veto this bill because he thinks his strategy is working, despite the devastation in Paris,’’ Palazzo said. “I dare the president of the United States to tell the citizens of the United States that he is more concerned with Syrian refugees than the safety of the American people.’’

Earlier Thursday, Palazzo urged support for the GOP bill saying, “You’re either with us or against us.’’

    Thompson and other Democrats argued the vetting system is already thorough, including 13 extensive steps, and has proven to work. The process can take 18 to 24 months.

13 steps a refugee goes through to get into the U.S. | The Clarion-Ledger

The House rejected a Democratic bill proposed by Thompson and California Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Adam Schiff. The bill would have among other things required only the secretary of homeland security to verify the identity of refugee applicants. It would also have required the DHS inspector general to submit a monthly report to Congress on refugee applications.

”While no system is risk free, the protections in place in the American system are rigorous, robust and extensive,’’ Thompson said.

Simon Henshaw,  principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Population, Refugees, and Migration, said the administration still plans to admit at least 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year.

"We understand that members of Congress have concerns about this process,'' he said. "We’ve spent the last few days in numerous briefings on the hill explaining the process to them in detail in both classified and unclassified settings.''

Contact Deborah Barfield Berry at dberry@gannett.com. Twitter: http://@dberrygannett