DeLauro Statement on the American SAFE Act

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today after the House passed the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015 (H.R. 4038).

“A fundamental responsibility of the U.S. government is to ensure that we are safe from terrorism. Last week, the world witnessed the terrible capabilities of groups like ISIL to destroy lives and instill fear. I condemn those attacks on civilians in Paris and stand in support of the victims and the French people during their time of mourning.

“In our global struggle against international terrorism, we cannot abandon our moral and humanitarian responsibilities towards those fleeing from persecution and seeking asylum in our country. Four million Syrians have fled their homes, families, and communities to escape the scourge of ISIL. Most have risked life and limb by land and sea through perilous obstacles to seek basic security. Many abandoned everything to escape an extremist regime of thugs and rapists. Many have died in their pursuit of security, including innocent, helpless children.

“We must not allow fear to write our refugee policies, and we must not allow extremism to dictate our tolerance. It is critical that our screenings of refugees are thorough and rigorous in order to keep our nation’s families safe. We must recognize the distinction between those who are victims of terror and those who perpetrate it.

“This legislation does nothing to strengthen our current screening process. It is a knee-jerk reaction to fear. It specifically targets Syrian and Iraqi refugees, most of whom are women and children, instead of finding and correcting any gaps in the screening system as a whole. Instead it relies on fear to single out a group of refugees. Unfortunately, Terrorists can come from anywhere. In fact, the cowards who attacked France have to date been identified as being from Belgium and France. For these reasons, I could not support this bill. Our focus and efforts should be devoted to defeating the global terrorist threat that we face today.”

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