Bownley votes to increase refugee security checks
On Nov. 19, Congresswoman Julia Brownley from California (D-CA) crossed party lines to vote for House of Representatives bill 4038 that would increase certifications to ensure that admitted refugees from Syria and Iraq will not be a security threat.
The bill, called the American SAFE Act of 2015 and sponsored by Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), passed 289-137 with 47 Democratic votes and all but two Republican votes. It was proposed partially in response to President Obama’s desire to increase the United States’ current refugee intake from 70,000 to 85,000, with 10,000 of the extra refugees exclusively from the Syrian Refugee Crisis.
“I think the President sees…that it is our duty as a country,” Steve Johnson, US history teacher, said. “He sees that our European allies are letting in far more than we are and he would make the argument that since the vetting process takes between 18 and 24 months, that it would be very difficult for a potential terrorist to ‘sneak in,’ which is the fear that the Congress has.”
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, there are almost 4.5 million Syrian refugees that have escaped the threats of the Syrian Civil War and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) scattered in nearby nations. If passed, Bill 4038 may greatly stop the influx of these refugees to the US.
“The bill would require the three agencies who reviewed the applications to certify that the applicant would pose no threat to the American people,” Brownley said. “It was passed out of the House. The Senate has not passed legislation at this time.”
After the Nov. 13 Paris attacks by ISIS extremists and the Dec. 2 San Bernardino shooting, Islamophobia and the fear of terrorist entrance into the US under the guise of the refugee crisis have increased.
“Given recent attacks around the world, and instability in Syria and Iraq, I believe the American people would like additional assurances that the vetting process is airtight…,” Brownley said. “While my first priority must be to protect the American people, I firmly believe we can strengthen our national security while holding true to our values.”
Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders back the president’s plan to bring more Syrian immigrants into the country, while Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz propose to allow only Christian refugees. All other candidates oppose allowing Syrian refugees.
“What Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are proposing is that we bring to this country tens of thousands of Syrian Muslim refugees. I have to say, particularly in light of what happened in Paris, that’s nothing short of lunacy,” Cruz said.
Brownley has represented California in the House of Representatives since 2012 for the 26th District of California, which includes the cities of Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, and Westlake Village, among others.
“The way I would explain it is that since the vote wasn’t close, it was better for Brownley to vote against it as she’s going to be running for reelection in a district that has a very close democrat/republican registration….That way, people who are maybe undecided on whether to vote for her or not wouldn’t be swayed by thinking that she’s somehow supporting terrorism,” Johnson said. “As a constituent of hers, I am not in favor of that vote….but I also understand it as a person who studies politics.”
Although the bill was mostly backed by Republicans, Brownley was not the only democrat to vote for the bill to be passed. “The bill does not halt refugees from entering the country and it received bipartisan support,” Brownley said. “There are many conversations happening between the President and both houses of Congress, (so) no definitive approach has yet been agreed to.” The bill still has to go through to the Senate and President, who could potentially veto it.
“The other thing that people may not be considering is that it’s much easier for potential terrorists to enter the US on a tourist visa and a student visa than as a refugee,” Johnson said. “So that would be a path that wouldn’t take 18-24 months of background checks and medical checks and all those kind of things. I don’t know that the refugee avenue, by closing that down, is keeping us any safer.”
