White House Threatens to Veto Bill that Would Block Resettlement of Vulnerable Syrian Refugees

New York City - In response to the news that President Obama intends to veto a proposed bill that would pause U.S. Resettlement of Syrian refugees, Human Rights First’s Eleanor Acer issued the following statement.

“We applaud the president for standing firm in the U.S. commitment to protecting the persecuted. The House bill, which would halt or delay for years the resettlement of Syrian refugee families is not only unnecessary, but undermines U.S. global leadership. Syrian refugees undergo a stringent series of background and security checks involving Department of Homeland Security, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Department of Defense, and U.S. intelligence agencies before ever being allowed entrance into the country. Moreover, it is in America’s security interests to support the stability of key allies in the Middle East including Jordan and Turkey, by demonstrating leadership to address this massive refugee crisis. The proposed bill sends exactly the wrong message to U.S. allies and to those fleeing violence in Syria. The bill would also delay the resettlement of Iraqi refugees including Iraqis who are at risk due to their work with the United States or U.S. organizations.”   

Human Rights First notes that current proposals being considered by Congress, including the American Safe Act, if passed would effectively shut down the resettlement of refugee families from the Syria and Iraq region, at least for months or years. The organization continues to urge Congress to reject any bill that would halt or pause U.S. resettlement of Syrian refugees.

The current system of background and security checks for Syrian refugees being resettled to the United States is the most rigorous vetting process applied to any people coming to the United States. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees first registers refugees, interviews them, takes biometric data and background information. These refugees—overwhelmingly women and children—have been living in Jordan, Turkey or other frontline refugee-hosting countries for years, struggling to survive. The U.S. government then conducts its own extremely rigorous screening process, including health checks, repeated biometric checks, several layers of biographical and background screening, and interview conducted abroad by specially-trained Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers. Multiple agencies are involved, including the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, the State Department, DHS, the National Counterterrorism Center, Department of Defense, and U.S. intelligence agencies. DHS has added an additional country-specific layer of enhanced review for Syrian refugee applications, which includes extra screening for national security risks.  

The world is facing the largest refugee crisis since World War II, with over 60 million people displaced.  Over 4 million Syrians have fled their country due to conflict and persecution, and 7.6 million are displaced within Syria in need of humanitarian assistance. Many of these refugees have been stranded for years in neighboring countries where they cannot work or support their families, have little access to education, and lack the level of humanitarian assistance they need. Frontline states and key U.S. allies including Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan continue to host the majority of the approximately 4 million refugees who have fled Syria, struggling under the strain of hosting so many refugees.