U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) called on President Barack Obama on Thursday to stop accepting Syrian refugees, warning that they pose national security risks.
In a letter to Obama, Buchanan cited recent warnings made by FBI Director James Comey about Syrian refugees. Comey said that there was “a terrorist diaspora out of Syria like we’ve never seen before,” and that, “Not all of the Islamic State killers are going to die on the battlefield.”
“The FBI director’s warning that the collapse of the caliphate will mean increased attacks in western Europe and the United States mirrors an alarming consensus among intelligence officials,” Buchanan wrote. “We are seeing a clear pattern in which a number of recent attacks have been carried out by ISIS terrorists with ties to Syria, including: the July 24 bombing of a music festival in Germany; the July 26 killing of a French priest; and the July 24 murder of a German woman with a machete. Syrian refugees played a part, either as attackers or accomplices, in all three attacks.”
Given “the context of this clear threat,” Buchanan wrote, Obama’s goal to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees into the country is “extremely troubling.”
“I urge (Obama) to work with world leaders to create a safe zone for refugees inside Syria or in a neighboring country,” Buchanan said. “According to data from the Center for Immigration Studies, the U.S. could support the resettlement of 12 refugees in the Middle East for the cost of caring for one refugee in the U.S.”
Buchanan said that admissions of Syrians into the United States must be halted until the safety of Americans can be guaranteed.