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Door Slammed On Syria Refugees – Democrats Defy Obama And Vote To Turn Refugees Away

By Sandra Hajda
Published on: 19:06 PST, Nov 19, 2015

Refugees from Syria and Iraq entering the U.S. may be subject to new vetting and certification requirements so strict they effectively amount to a ban on any intake of refugees from those countries, as reported by Vox.

The House of Representatives passed the bill, which is called the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, with a “veto-proof majority” – this means that the bill enjoyed such strong Democratic support that it will not be vetoed by Obama. Democrats have signaled their support for the bill and the president cannot stand in their way. Obama’s party has thus effectively defied him on the issue of refugees from Syria and Iraq.

The president expressed his desire to accept new arrivals in the wake of the Paris attacks, justifying his stance on the grounds that a security crackdown and U.S. refugee policy reappraisal in the wake of the Paris attacks (a gunman reportedly shouted “This is for Syria!” prior to one of the Paris shootings) would amount to a surrender to the terrorists, and demonstrate that the U.S. has bowed to their fearmongering.

Vox notes that the name of the bill has been selected so that it has a cute acronym: the American SAFE bill. Supporters indeed justified the bill on the grounds that America must be kept “safe” as the situation in the Middle East deteriorates and violence spills onto the European continent.

The bill the House passed, which is called the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act (or the American SAFE Act, because Congress has a cutesy-acronym problem), requires the federal government to set up a new process, on top of the background and security checks it currently conducts, to “certify” individual refugees from Syria and Iraq before they’re allowed into the United States.

Refugees from Syria will need to be signed off individually by representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI if the new bill passes the Senate. It has just passed easily through the House of Representatives and looks unlikely to be blocked when it reaches the Senate — that is, assuming it keeps enjoying the level of momentum it has had thus far.

In the House of Representatives, 47 of Obama’s 188 fellow Democrats broke with the pro-refugee White House to support the American SAFE bill.

The Hill notes hopefully that “[the bill] may face a tougher path to passage” when it reaches the Senate, and that “there’s no guarantee that Democrats will side against the president if they are asked to sustain a veto,” suggesting that Obama could still keep doors open to Syria and its refugees by killing the bill when it arrives at its final checkpoint – the Oval Office.

The House of Representatives vote comes as new waves of refugees from Syria spill onto the European and Asian continents, and a week after the Paris terrorist attacks, which killed around 129 people.

ISIS have claimed responsibility for the carnage, citing devastation in Syria and Iraq. ISIS are also responsible for displacing many of the refugees from Iraq and Syria that are moving into Europe and around the world.

President Obama gave a speech expressing solidarity with France in the wake of the Paris attacks. The president has also just sent 50 United States Special Forces operatives into Syria to try to coordinate the activities of moderate rebels fighting against ISIS.

“France is our oldest ally. The French people have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. time and again.”

Obama expressed admiration for the values of the French and asserted that France and its allies will not be cowed.

“Paris itself represents the timeless values of human progress. Those who think they can terrorize the people of France, or the values that they stand for, are wrong.”

Obama noted in his address that the parallels between the American founding values of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and the French revolutionary clarion call “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” (the national motto of France) demonstrate that the two nations share a vision and are aligned in their commitment to Enlightenment values.

“Those values are going to endure far beyond any act of terrorism, or the hateful vision of those who perpetrated the crimes this evening.”

Democrats against the bill argued that by passing it in the House, the rogue voters have succumbed to terror. Obama’s supporters argue that the bill will “provide no meaningful additional security for the American people” and that it will effectively end the refugee program, closing U.S. doors on Syria.

“The United States has always been and should always be a place of refuge,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), commenting on the harsh new Syria refugee measures. “We might as well take down the Statue of Liberty.”

Should the U.S. keep its doors open to refugees from Syria and Iraq?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WogJH_IJt2s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3o8h9bW9Zs

[Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images]

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