Goodlatte: It’s Inexcusable for Senate Democrats to Reject Bill to Protect Americans from ISIS

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement after Senate Democrats rejected the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015 (H.R. 4038): “It’s inexcusable that Senate Democrats today rejected a commonsense, targeted bill that would protect the American people from a very real threat posed by ISIS. ISIS terrorists have vowed to use the refugee system to enter Western countries and top national security officials within the Obama Administration have repeatedly warned that the U.S. government does not have the resources and dramatically lacks the information needed to fully vet refugees from Syria. This is precisely why the House voted to hit pause on the President’s plan to usher in thousands of Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Why are Senate Democrats and President Obama so opposed to requiring comprehensive background checks of every refugee from Iraq or Syria before they can be admitted into the United States? What do they have to hide from the American people by not even allowing this important and popular bill to be debated and voted on the floor of the Senate? “The primary duty of the federal government is to keep Americans safe. The House Judiciary Committee continues to work on several additional bills to strengthen our immigration programs and enhance national security, including stronger vetting of visa applicants and all refugees. We plan to introduce these bills over the coming weeks.”Background: In November 2015, the House of Representatives approved by a vote of 289-137 the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015 (H.R. 4038). This bill requires comprehensive background checks of every refugee from Iraq or Syria before they can be admitted into the United States and certification that each does not pose a threat. The White House threatened to veto this legislation. Earlier this month, two refugees from Iraq were arrested for allegedly attempting to provide material support to ISIS and for lying to U.S. immigration officials about their alleged ties to terrorist organizations. Chairman Goodlatte’s statement on these arrests can be found here.