House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) released a statement on Friday regarding the arrest of two Iraqi refugees on terrorism-related charges.
“While I commend the FBI for their hard work, these arrests heighten my concern that our refugee program is susceptible to exploitation by terrorists,” McCaul said. “The president has assured us that individuals from Iraq and Syria receive close scrutiny, but it is clearly not enough. We need to act, which is why today I call upon the Senate to take up my bill to overhaul the security vetting of Iraqi and Syrian refugees.”
The House passed the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act of 2015 via a bipartisan, veto-proof majority in November. The legislation ensures that no refugee from Iraq or Syria will be admitted to the U.S. unless the FBI director, secretary of Homeland Security, and the director of National Intelligence certify that each individual poses no security risk.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general must independently assess the refugee approvals to make sure no potential security risk slips through the cracks.