releases: http://lance.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lance-house-eyes-strong-refugee-measures
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://lance.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lance-house-eyes-strong-refugee-measures | Lance: House eyes strong refugee measures | 2015-12-08 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Leonard Lance | L000567 | lance.house.gov | legacy | The details that have been reported from the investigation into what occurred in San Bernardino have suggested that the attack was premeditated and thoroughly planned by ISIS-inspirited terrorists. Our fight against radical jihadists at home and abroad is the Nations most pressing issue and the House of Representatives is immediately taking action. A measure I cosponsored, H.R. 158, theVisa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act, will shortly be considered by the House as we work to strengthen the Visa Waiver Program to help prevent foreign terrorists from entering the United States. There are growing concerns about the ability of terrorists to use our visa waiver programs, which allow individuals from 38 participating countries to travel to the U.S. without first obtaining a visa. Some security analysts estimate between 5,000 to 6,000 European nationals including British, French, Belgian and Dutch citizens have traveled to Syria as recruits to join ISIS. And the Associated Press reported last month that more than 1,200 ISIS recruits have returned to Europe. Under the visa waiver program many of these individuals could enter the United States undetected and undeterred. In order to stop the threat of jihadists who have gone to fight for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq from entering the United States, Congress must close dangerous loopholes in the federal visa waiver program, deny visa waivers to foreign nationals who had traveled to Syria or Iraq during the previous five years and revoke and confiscate the passports of U.S. citizens suspected of engaging in terrorist activities. There is also a debate regarding our countrys refugee policies. Our country has a long history of helping people in need. But some dangerous individuals may very well be planning to take advantage of our compassion. Terrorists have made it clear that they intend to infiltrate refugee populations seeking asylum from ISIS to reach the West and carry out deadly attacks like those in Paris. While the overwhelming majority of refugees pose absolutely no threat to us, we simply do not have a sufficient process for figuring out who each person is and verifying his or her background. That is why the House of Representatives passed a bill I cosponsored, H.R. 4038, that would pause the Presidents refugee resettlement program until an effective vetting and monitoring process is in place that ensures the safety of the American people. The Obama Administration senior intelligence officials have said we have no way to be certain that we are not admitting ISIS terrorists. This came in sworn testimony before Congress weeks before the attack in Paris. FBI Director James Comey told the House Judiciary Committee in October that people of serious concern came into the United States as refugees, including two whose fingerprints were found on improvised explosive devices in Iraq. And on the same day the President was critical of the concerns of a strong majority American people, eight suspected ISIS terrorists were arrested in Turkey attempting to enter that country with the refugee population. These examples are why the House needed to act. H.R. 4038 puts in place new standards for a proposed Syrian or Iraqi refugee: The countrys top security officialsthe Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the FBI and the Director of National Intelligence must unanimously certify that the individual does not represent a security threat; It directs the FBI to validate that the background checks are thorough enough to keep dangerous individuals out of the country; It mandates Congress must receive certifications before admittance; And it instructs the DHS Inspector General to assess the refugee approvals independentlymaking sure that high-risk individuals do not slip through the cracks. If refugees cannot clear those security parameters then they should not be admitted to the United States. The persecuted and orphaned will pass this vetting process. ISIS terrorists will not. The threat of ISIS is not contained as the President has suggested. It is not going away. Given these realities, it is clear Congress must be more aggressive in taking action to screen all those who enter the United States, as well as take stronger actions against European Nationals and American citizens who join terrorist organizations. Please visitlance.house.gov/ISISand let me know your thoughts and concerns. I look forward to hearing from you. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |