Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) is calling on House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and GOP leadership to block President Barack Obama’s plan to bring in more refugees from Syria into the United States.
More than two months ago, Zinke warned against the national security risks facing the U.S. regarding the refugee crisis.
According to a press release from Zinke’s office:
Today, Rep. Zinke is introducing legislation with Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) titled ‘The American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act.’ The American SAFE Act bolsters the refugee screening process to include the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Earlier this year Rep. Zinke helped introduce H.R. 3314, the Refugee Resettlement Accountability National Security Act, which prohibits the admission of refugees into the United States until Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to resume admitting refugees. Rep. Zinke is pressing House Leadership for a vote on both pieces of legislation. In addition, he is joining his colleagues in urging President Obama to halt all refugee programs from Syria and Iraq until security concerns are met.
“My heart is heavy for the people of Paris, Beirut and other nations affected by ISIS terrorists,” Zinke stated in the press release.
“I do not view these attacks as merely a ‘setback.’ Last year, President Obama called ISIS the ‘JV team,’ and he blindly claimed ISIS is ‘contained’ just hours before the Paris attacks, but he could not have been more gravely wrong. The United States should have stepped up and destroyed ISIS at its origins, rather than wait until ISIS grew their capabilities and influence. Now, we face not only ISIS in Syria and Iraq, but also across the globe, and potentially here at home.”
Zinke said that because some of ISIS terrorists in Paris were embedded in the refugee population, he wants Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McCathy to use this legislation on the House floor to stop Obama’s “dangerous plan to bring 180,000 refugees to the United States.”
“In the case of the Syrian refugees, most of them are male. Most of them are of military age, and yes, it is a significant security issue in that a background check is only as good as the authorities have information on them. But when you have a background check and you don’t know their background, you don’t know what they’ve done, it is enormously dangerous in the interest of our national security to accept potential terrorists. ISIS said, and now they have proven, they will use this chaos to infiltrate ISIS members in the refugee population.”
Zinke is a retired Navy SEAL Commander with 23-years of experience.
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