This week the Senate will take up the bill the House passed at the end of last year to "pause" the refugee resettlement program for refugees coming from Syrian and Iraq. In a floor speech Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted that it was Democrats who are “fear mongering” about refugees.
The aim is to ensure that we have facts first so that we can help advance America's tradition of compassion and address the legitimate concerns of her citizens at the same time. I'll have more to say on this legislation tomorrow, but I would urge colleagues across the aisle to treat this issue with the seriousness that it deserves. This debate should be driven by facts and common sense, not fear mongering about targeting widows and orphans or other strawman arguments that the White House has made from time to time.
Yes, when Democrats quote what a Republican presidential candidate says about keeping orphans under age five out of the country, that's fear mongering. And what Republicans are doing with this vote? They're acting only out of compassion for the deserving refugees:
Americans deserve a vetting process they can have confidence in, and frankly the refugees coming to this country deserve one, too. Safeguards that weed out ISIL sympathizers can help ensure legitimate refugees to our country or not unfairly stigmatized.
See, stigmatizing refugees from the region and keeping them out of the country is just to prevent them from coming here and being "unfairly stigmatized." Watch his comments under the fold.
Too many House Democrats fell for this kind of bullshit and helped pass this horrible bill. Senate Democrats should reject it.
Sign and send the petition: Democrats must support Syrian refugees.