Miller co-sponsors refugee resettlement legislation to empower U.S. law enforcement

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) recently co-sponsored legislation aimed at ensuring that American law enforcement agencies have sufficient resources “to vet refugees before they step on American soil.”
   
As hundreds of thousands of Syrian migrants flee into and across Europe to escape the violence and instability created by terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS, Miller said that when it comes to accepting refugees from Syria, “it is imperative that the U.S. impose the highest level of scrutiny and security to protect our citizens from terrorists looking to exploit our hospitality.”
  
Miller, vice chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Committee and chairwoman of the House Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, said that “Syria is home to the largest convergence of Islamist terror organizations, many of whom are committed to carrying out attacks against the U.S. and its allies.”
   
While the U.S. has a long history of helping those around the world who seek refuge from political and religious persecution – and it is important that the U.S. “continues to help those in need of refuge,” Miller said — the U.S. also cannot ignore “the serious threat these terrorist organizations pose to our homeland security.”
  
Miller is among almost a dozen co-sponsors of the Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act of 2015 (H.R. 3573), which U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) introduced in the House on Sept. 18. The measure would grant congressional oversight of the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program.
  
Specifically, the bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the president – after appropriate consultation with certain congressional committees – to recommend to Congress the number of refugees who may be admitted into the U.S. in a fiscal year.
   
“Except in the case of an unforeseen emergency refugee situation, no refugees may be admitted in a fiscal year until Congress enacts a joint resolution setting the number of refugees who may be admitted in that fiscal year,” according to text in the bill, which also would require that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) consult with the director of National Intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in determining a refuge’s admissibility on security and related grounds.
  
Miller highlighted other specifics of H.R. 3573, which would: require affirmative approval by both the House and Senate before any refugees are admitted to the U.S.; allow Congress to block any inadequate refugee resettlement plan put forward by the president; require the administration, when considering the admission of refugees from Iraq and Syria, to prioritize the resettlement of oppressed religious minorities; and ensure DHS, in coordination with DNI and FBI, provides new security assurances before admitting refugees into the country and for the Governmental Accountability Office to conduct a sweeping review of security gaps in the current refugee screening process.
  
H.R. 3573 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.