House votes to discriminately block Syrian & Iraqi refugees

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | November 19, 2015 – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to discriminately block Syrian and Iraqi refugees from resettlement in the U.S. on the basis of their national origin. ADC strongly condemns and is deeply disapointed in the House vote following today’s refugee hearing.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 289 to 137 to pass an anti-Refugee bill called the “American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act.” The House vote represents a vote for fear and xenophobia. It also discriminates against Syrians and Iraqis on the basis of their national origin.

The effect of this bill is to block refugees from coming to the U.S. by creating more hurdles to an already stringent process. The U.S. already has a vigorous 18-24 month vetting process for refuges. If it becomes law, this bill would require the most stringent vetting ever for refugees. It would require the nation’s three top security officials — the Homeland Security secretary, FBI director and national intelligence director — to certify to Congress that each individual Syrian or Iraqi refugee is not a security threat before the refugee can be admitted into the U.S.

Take Action: Urge your Senators to block the house bill, not refugees