American Safe Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, tomorrow the Senate will vote on a motion to proceed to H.R. 4038, also known as the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act. This bill would prohibit the admission into the United States of refugees from Iraq or Syria or any other refugee who has been present in those countries in the last 5 years unless that person receives a thorough background investigation.

The bill would require the Director of the FBI to certify to the Secretary of Homeland Security and also to the Director of National Intelligence that each of those persons has received a background investigation that is sufficient to determine whether he or she is a threat to the security of the United States. Then, as a second provision, the Secretary of Homeland Security, with the unanimous concurrence of the Director of the FBI and the Director of National Intelligence, would have to certify to Congress that each refugee is not a security threat; and finally, it requires the Homeland Security inspector general to conduct a risk-based review of all certifications for the admission of Iraqi and Syrian refugees made by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Director of National Intelligence each year and provide an annual report to the Congress.

This bill passed the House overwhelmingly and in a bipartisan manner in November. I intend to vote on the motion to proceed tomorrow. This is a conversation we need to have in the Senate. This is not an issue we can take lightly, despite the plea from President Obama in his State of the Union Address. We cannot allow America's welcome mat to become a doormat for radicalized Islamic extremists who are hardwired to kill innocent people and destroy our way of life.

Unless and until the United States can figure out a foolproof screening process to prevent terrorists from masquerading as refugees to infiltrate our neighborhoods and our communities, President Obama needs to listen to the concerns voiced by more than half of the Nation's Governors, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on both sides of Capitol Hill, and the American people from across the entire country.

After the September 11 attacks, we paused our refugee admission program to reassess its security vetting procedures, so there is precedent for suspending the refugee program, and this bill does not suspend the refugee program--only in regard to the single instance that I know; that is, we have been threatened that people were going to be snuck into the country under the umbrella of refugee, and of course that is from Iraq and Syria.

We need to move cautiously in accepting refugees from Iraq and Syria given the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, CA, and even elsewhere around the world. We need to fully understand the risks and the schemes that these terrorists are using before we open our doors to 10,000 more Syrians. Other countries face the same challenge.

Just last week, the French Interior Minister warned his colleagues about the intent of the Islamic State to use authentic-looking Syrian and Iraqi passports to smuggle its operatives into Europe. There is no doubt that the group has obtained thousands of blank passports and intends to facilitate travel by counterfeiting those documents, but more importantly, we must consider a pause in accepting these refugees until we can be sure our background checks and investigations are the best they can be. However, today there is little doubt, even from our leading intelligence officials that we may not be able to stop a Paris- like attack because we cannot tell who among the thousands of Syrian refugees that the administration wishes to resettle here are terrorists.

The Director of the FBI, James Comey, said: ``My concern is that there are certain gaps . . . in the data available to us'' in screening Syrian refugees. This data, such as fingerprints, background or biographic information, is crucial for adequate screening of potential refugees entering the United States. Director Comey also said: ``There is risk associated with bringing anybody in from the outside, but especially from a conflict zone like that.''

The United States has been successful in fighting off many large- scale terrorist attacks on our soil, but of course it only takes one mistake. Just last month, the FBI arrested two individuals who reside in the United States and entered the country as refugees, one of whom was arrested for attempting to knowingly and willfully provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

A Federal agent testified last week that one of the men charged planned to set off bombs at two Houston malls. I asked for the immigration and criminal histories of these individuals to investigate further and satisfy myself, and I am still waiting for their response. The concerns are real. The threats are real. We cannot jeopardize our national security simply by rolling out our welcome mat to these terrorists.

President Obama's lack of strategy in Syria has exacerbated this human catastrophe. Similarly, this administration has no inclination or strategy to create conditions where refugees can one day return home safely to their own homes. By housing these refugees, the United States is only aiding in a short-term treatment of this whole massive refugee problem and the problems of warfare in the Middle East while at the same time risking the safety of the American people. We must instead focus on defeating ISIS and alleviating the current humanitarian misery, all while creating a future for Syrian refugees in their homeland.

The No. 1 responsibility of the U.S. Federal Government is to protect the homeland and to secure the country against all threats. Moving this bill on our vote tomorrow is one step we can take to advance this principle and to show our concern that the No. 1 responsibility of the Federal Government is the defense of the American people.

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