You are reading

Crowley votes against bill that would stifle Syrian refugees entry into America

Joseph Crowley

Joseph Crowley

Nov. 20, 2015 By Michael Florio

Congressman Joseph Crowley voted against a controversial bill yesterday that would essentially halt Syrian and Iraqi refugees from coming to the United States.

Congressman Joseph Crowley spoke out against the bill (H.R. 4038) which calls for increasing the screening process for refugees trying to make it into America.

Despite Crowley’s vote, the bill passed by a veto-proof count of 289-137 and will now go onto the senate.

Should the bill become law, it would require refugees attempting to enter the United States to undergo an additional background check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

This would be on top of the current process, which includes a background check by the Department of Homeland Services (DHS).

Under the bill refugees would only be admitted with unanimous agreement from the FBI, DHS and Director of National Intelligence.

If enacted, the bill would likely pause the screening process for a short time, while new background check procedures are developed, and then lengthen the time the screening process takes.

“I opposed this legislation because its sole outcome would be to substantially delay or even end the admission of women and children fleeing Syria and Iraq into the U.S.,” Crowley said.

The refugee screening process already takes 18 to 24 months and includes interviews, fingerprinting and database crosschecks by several government agencies, according to published reports.

“These are innocent people who have been brutalized by both their own government as well as Daesh (ISIS),” Crowley added.

“Protecting the American people from terrorism and providing protection to thoroughly vetted refugees are not mutually exclusive,” he said.

“The U.S. has long stood with those fleeing violence and persecution, and I believe we can – and must – stay true to our values while ensuring our national security.”

This bill was brought to the floor following attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead and many more injured.

 

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Met Council leader warns of ‘catastrophe’ for low-income families in Queens due to lack of pandemic-era federal food aid

Mar. 28, 2023 By Bill Parry

As an accomplished legislator, law professor and media personality with broad experience in government and not-for-profit organizations, Met Council CEO and executive director David Greenfield is well aware of the power of words. With Passover arriving on Wednesday, April 5, and with federal pandemic food assistance no longer available to low-income families in Queens, the leader of the nation’s largest Jewish charity organization warned of a coming “catastrophe” and called for the city to step up to provide $13 million in emergency funding for pantries to help New Yorkers facing food insecurity and elevated costs of living in the borough.

Pair of Queens community organizations will activate public spaces to celebrate local cultures

Two Queens community organizations are among an inaugural cohort of five groups citywide that will lead new projects to celebrate local cultures and histories in public spaces under a new initiative called The Local Center in a partnership between Urban Design Forum and the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD).

At a time when New York is grappling with an uneven pandemic recovery and as displacement looms large for communities and neighborhoods across the five boroughs, this new endeavor will convene interdisciplinary teams to transform and activate the shared spaces where cultural traditions flourish — and importantly, center the community visions and leadership that is too often left out of the process.