Spurred by the Syrian refugee crisis, the House Judiciary Committee has advanced a bill to reform the United States’ refugee program. The “Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act of 2016”, or H.R. 4731, was co-sponsored by 9th District Georgia Congressman Doug Collins.
Under current law, the President gets to decide how many refugees are allowed into the country each year. This bill caps the number at 60,000 and moves authority to adjust that number away from the President to Congress. The bill also gives states and local governments the power to refuse refugee resettlements in their communities.
The committee voted 18-9 Wednesday to report the bill favorably out of committee. In a statement issued after the vote Collins said, “These commonsense reforms to our refugee resettlement program will prevent exploitation from bad actors seeking to take advantage of American compassion. We must put our national security first, and set parameters to prevent the refugee system from being abused.”
Other provisions in the bill require the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to implement a strong fraud detection program for documents, and more transparent screening procedures for those seeking refuge in the United States, including reviewing social media postings of applicants.
“If violence from groups like ISIS is going to continue, we need a tough screening process to adequately vet those fleeing terrorism, and make sure that those we allow here truly meet the standards set for admittance as refugees and do not pose a threat to American values,” said Collins.
Last year Governor Nathan Deal joined more than thirty other governors in publicly opposing Syrian refugee resettlements in their states. He issued an executive order directing state agency heads to prevent the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Georgia. Deal issued his order on November 16, three days after terrorists killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more in coordinated attacks on Paris. At least one of the terror suspects was believed to have entered Europe by way of Syria.
READ: Georgia Will Not Accept Syrian Refugees
Deal rescinded his order in January after Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens issued a legal opinion saying it was illegal.
