Byrne wants Congressional power to block Syrian refugees from entering Alabama, U.S.

WASHINGTON — Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) announced his support for legislation Tuesday that would give Congress significant input before refugees can enter the United States.

The Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act, which Byrne is co-sponsoring, aims to include Congress in refugee resettlement plans through requiring approval from both the House and the Senate before refugees are admitted to the U.S., and by giving Congress the authority to block a refugee resettlement plan. In addition, the legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to work with the FBI in screening all potential refugees.

“After listening to the concerns of my constituents and attending a State Department briefing, I strongly believe Congress should have the ability to block any attempt to bring a large number of Syrian refugees into the United States,” said Byrne in a press release Tuesday morning.

“There is simply no way to know for sure that terrorist groups, like the Islamic State, are not going to infiltrate the refugee process. The Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act will ensure that Congress, and in turn the American people, have the final say when it comes to increasing the number of refugees.”

Congressman Byrne hasn’t been the only one to voice concerns about how the admittance of the Syrian refugees will impact national security. The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said the issue of the Syrian refugees is a huge problem, adding that the U.S. does not “put it past the likes of ISIL to infiltrate operatives among these refugees.”

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions also expressed unease of the potentially “radicalized” refugees coming to cities in the U.S., with more than 100 Syrian refugees expected to be housed in Mobile.

Byrne recently sent a letter to the Department of State to ask about the process of screening for the Syrian refugees, which led to his participation in a classified briefing detailing the screening process. However, since this briefing, he has continued to express tremendous security concerns about the admittance of at least 10,000 thousand Syrian refugees within the next year.

“We should never compromise our national security, and I fear that allowing a mass influx of Syrian refugees into the United States would do just that,” Byrne said.

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