GOP presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is introducing new legislation in the Senate to halt Syrian refugees from obtaining visas to enter the United States, and told Breitbart News that he supports the governors from several states who have decided not to accept Syrian refugees under the Obama Administration’s increased refugee resettlement program.
“I’m getting calls nonstop from my state saying we don’t think this a good idea to bring in refugees when we’re not certain they aren’t coming here to attack us,” Paul exclusively tells Breitbart News after announcing his plan to introduce legislation that will stop the flow of refugees from the Middle East into the United States in light of the terrorist attack in Paris by ISIS on Friday night.
Paul is calling on GOP leadership to recognize the urgency regarding the refugee crisis and to listen to the people.
“My message not only to the leadership, but to the country is if we want to defend ourselves, we have to defend ourselves and the first way to do it is to bar people from coming to your country who would attack you,” Paul told Breitbart News. “The interesting thing about this is people are talking about world-wide war to stop this and you would think the first thing you would do is stop people from coming to our country.”
“I take this pretty personally,” he added, referencing two Iraqi refugees who previously were caught attempting to buy missiles in his hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky. He pointed out the Boston bombers also came to the U.S. as refugees.
“Sometimes we have misplaced humanitarianism without thinking of the safety of the nation,” he added.
Paul expressed concern about the refugees who are already in the United States from Syria.
“I don’t believe we have a good idea of who is already in our country,” he said, questioning, “are they in college, is there intent to deceive and come here to attack us?”
He explained that’s why the U.S. must make the haystack smaller of the individuals coming into the country – especially from countries in the Middle East.
Paul said the U.S. needs to “make the number zero right now” adding, “until the government can prove to me who’s here and we know when they’re leaving.”
He added that 40 percent of those that are in the United States illegally due to visa overstays.
“I say from the Middle East, we don’t need any more immigrants…students or refugees or otherwise,” he stressed.
On a conference call with roughly a dozen reporters Monday afternoon, Paul detailed his legislation he is initiating to address the Syrian refugee crisis.
“I’m introducing a bill that will call for an immediate moratorium on visas for refugees,” Paul announced on the conference call.
His bill would stop refugees and others from obtaining visas to immigrate or study in the U.S. from countries that have significant jihadi movements, roughly 30 countries.
He said the legislation would be paid for with a special tax on armed sales to any of these countries.“Individuals coming through those countries would also have to have a 30 day waiting period unless they’ve been admitted for entry through global entry,” he added.
“The best way to defend the country from attackers…is to make sure that we try to prevent their access into our country,” Paul explained.
“It’s about time,” he said of barring the increase of Syrian refugees resettled in the United States. “Paris should wake us up.”