Halting refugee resettlement compromises the security of all

In the wake of the attacks in Paris, the House of Representatives has passed legislation that, if finally enacted, effectively would derail the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the United States.  This legislation constitutes a serious error, but one that can be corrected.  

This action by the House flies in the face of who we claim to be  as a nation by unnecessarily denying  protection to innocent women, children, and men who have suffered greatly at the hands of ISIS and other brutal forces—and who will or already have  gone through painstakingly rigorous layers of screening before they can be  admitted. Those forced to remain in danger would include Iraqis who worked with the U.S. military — people who served our nation courageously and already have been waiting for years to reach safety. 

{mosads}The Senate soon will consider this House-passed legislation that would bring the already slow-moving U.S. resettlement program to a halt. Near impossible requirements—such as mandating that the Homeland Security Secretary, along with the director of National Intelligence and the FBI director, personally “certify” that each individual refugee does not pose a security threat—would result in long delays that would dramatically limit the number of refugees accepted for resettlement. Further, while cases awaited such certification, medical and other processing clearances could expire, throwing the entire refugee system into disarray. 

Proponents of this bill claim that U.S. refugee admissions processes are not strong and secure.  That is simply not correct. As former Commissioners of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) under both Democratic and Republican administrations, our responsibilities included oversight of the refugee admissions program and vetting processes. We can testify to the many steps and safeguards that have been incorporated into refugee admissions screening in recent years to guard against fraud and terrorist or criminal infiltration.  Indeed, in a November 19, 2015 letter to the President, former Homeland Security Secretaries Michael Chertoff and Janet Napolitano affirmed that the U.S. vetting process is “thorough and robust” and “will allow us to safely admit the most vulnerable refugees while protecting the American people.”  In fact, the U.S. refugee program has the most rigorous screening of any such program elsewhere in the world. 

Moreover, refugees proposed for resettlement in the United States face the most rigorous vetting of any individuals or groups that come to the United States. In addition to a host of processes that include biometric, biographic and other background checks, each refugee is interviewed by officers of the Department of Homeland Security’s specially designated and trained Refugee Corps.  The interviewers are experts in the vetting of refugees.  Additional scrutiny is provided by the Department of Defense, the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, and other intelligence agencies. 

Refugee admissions and resettlement have enjoyed a long history of bipartisan support in the United States because they reflect our nation’s core values of protecting the persecuted and welcoming new members to our communities. Our country has provided safety and the chance for a secure and productive future to refugees from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Sudan and many other places where people are targeted for persecution because of who they are or what they believe. 

Protecting vulnerable refugees and keeping Americans safe are not opposing concepts; they go hand in hand. 

Refugee resettlement also provides vital support to refugee-hosting states struggling under the strain of providing asylum to large numbers of refugees. By supporting the stability of key states like Jordan and Lebanon, the latter where nearly 25 percent of the population is comprised of Syrian refugees, the United States advances its own foreign policy and national security interests abroad. 

Welcoming those in desperate need honors our national identity and makes our country richer in every respect. We are a nation of many different religions, races and ethnicities. That universality is precisely what makes us so strong, so special, so American. 

Meissner served as commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service 1993-2000. Ziglar served as commissioner  of  the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization 2001-02.