Congressman Presents Bill to Give Preference to Religiously Oppressed Syrian Refugees

Cortney O'Brien | September 25, 2015 9:15 AM

Congress is demanding some kind of oversight after the Obama administration decided to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees to settle in the United States over the next year. While many may consider the move a compassionate one, security concerns should rightly raise some red flags. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, introduced the Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act this week to try and establish a more in depth vetting process for the expected immigrants.

McCaul's legislation would require the White House to seek congressional approval before any refugee enters the country. Here are the specifics points it will address, including a preference toward refugees who escaped religious oppression:

Require affirmative approval by both the House and Senate before any refugees are admitted to the U.S.
Allow Congress to block any inadequate refugee resettlement plan put forward by the President.
Require the Administration, when considering the admission of refugees from Iraq and Syria, to prioritize the resettlement of oppressed religious minorities.
Ensure DHS, in coordination with DNI and FBI, provides new security assurances before admitting refugees into the country and for the Governmental Accountability Office to conduct a sweeping review of security gaps in the current refugee screening process.

In a statement released by McCaul's office, the chairman explained why he was so urgent to get his legislation passed:

"Many Americans are understandably concerned about the threat posed by inadequate security screening procedures for refugee seeking entry into the United States. ISIS themselves have stated their intention to take advantage of the crisis to infiltrate the west. We have to take this threat seriously."