THE REPUBLICAN SYRIAN REFUGEE BILL; Congressional Record Vol. 161, No. 171

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THE REPUBLICAN SYRIAN REFUGEE BILL

(Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to

address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

express my concern and opposition to the Republican Syrian refugee

bill.

This restrictive and misguided legislation would immediately shut

down the current refugee resettlement and cripple our refugee programs

for the future.

I represent Orange County, California, one of the historically known

areas of resettling refugees from all around the world. We are ready.

We are ready.

Once this administration has taken a look at the backgrounds, has

done the extensive research that they do with respect to somebody's

background, we are ready to help resettle these refugees.

Refusing to resettle any Syrian refugees would inadvertently empower

Daesh and boost their recruitment abilities among vulnerable

populations struggling to survive. We cannot let Daesh push us to

succumb to fear and to prejudice.

These Syrian refugees are fleeing the same violence that we have seen

in Paris and Beirut and Baghdad this last week. Three-quarters of them

are women and children. A quarter of them are over 60 years of age.

Refugees are not the enemy.

So remember the words on our Statue of Liberty: \\\`\\\`Give me your tired,

your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.''

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