The White House said it would veto a bill the House is expected to approve on Thursday that would effectively sink President Obama’s goal of accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees next year.
A reaction to the Nov. 13 Paris terrorists attacks, the bill would subject those fleeing the Syrian Civil War to additional layers of screening–a move that could grind the refugee program to screeching halt.
“This legislation would introduce unnecessary and impractical requirements that would unacceptably hamper our efforts to assist some of the most vulnerable people in the world, many of whom are victims of terrorism,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement Wednesday, reported by The Hill.
Under the bill proposed by Reps. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) and Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), any refugee escaping wars in Syria or Iraq must be subject to a background check by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence before being allowed to settle stateside.
The proposal “is untenable and would provide no meaningful additional security for the American people, instead serving only to create significant delays and obstacles” for people fleeing the conflict in Syria, the White House argued Wednesday.
President Obama has leveled harsh words at GOP lawmakers, presidential candidates, and state governors who have seized on the events in Paris to deny safe haven for Syrian refugee families. He said it was “shameful” of some GOP politicians, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, to suggest that the US should only accept Christian refugees fleeing ISIL.
“We don’t have religious tests to our compassion,” Obama said on Wednesday.
A Syrian passport found near the body of one of last week’s attackers sparked fears that terrorists may be using refugees as cover to sneak into the west. So far, however, the eight attackers identified by French authorities, including the alleged mastermind, Abdelhamind Abaaoud, are all European citizens, hailing from either France or Belgium.
