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House Homeland Security chairman: No religious test needed for Syrian refugees
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, speaks with reporters at breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor on May 21, 2015. McCaul introduced a bill to bolster the refugee vetting process, which he said doesn’t need a religious test.(photo by Michael Bonfigli/The Christian Science Monitor)
WASHINGTON–The chairman of the House Homeland Security committee said Wednesday that a religious test for Syrian refugees isn’t necessary since Christians have an easier path through vetting.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin said Christians and other Middle Eastern religious minorities would “obviously would be given preferential treatment” during security checks, and that no refugee should be excluded on religion alone.
“That’s not in this bill,” said McCaul, referencing a bill he introduced to pause and bolster the vetting process for refugees. “We’re just saying, through the vetting process, one of the elements looked it is religion.”
McCaul’s bill freezes the Obama administration’s plan to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees and requires the Homeland Security secretary and directors of the FBI and National Intelligence to sign off on each refugee admitted.
“The fact is, we’re just trying to keep terrorists out of the country. That’s the bottom-line of this bill,” said McCaul.
Sen. Ted Cruz, a 2016 presidential candidate, said he’d introduce a bill to block all Syrian Muslim refugees–a proposition President Barack Obama called “shameful”–but Republican leadership and most of the conference are backing McCaul’s bill.
“Let Sen. Cruz put that in a bill then,” said Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas. “What we’re trying to say is that anyone that comes in this country needs to be fully vetted. We’re not trying to make it religious. We’re trying to deal with the security of this country.”
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| Dallas Morning News (blog) | - |
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, speaks with reporters at breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor on May 21, 2015. McCaul introduced a bill to bolster the refugee vetting process, which he said ...
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