Michael Bennet: “all across the Middle East and Europe, hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing the medieval barbarism of ISIS and…”

“all across the Middle East and Europe, hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing the medieval barbarism of ISIS and the violent cruelty of the Assad regime. Out of a population of 22 million, more than 4 million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries. These refugees--almost all of them women and children--have been living away from their homes for years in Jordan, Turkey, or other host countries, struggling to survive, struggling to be free. Hundreds of thousands have decided to make the dangerous journey to Europe. Many perish along the way. According to the United Nations, over 3,200 refugees attempting to reach Europe died or went missing in 2015 alone. Throughout our history, when we have been at our best, the United States has accepted the world's most vulnerable seeking refuge from violence and murder. Our principles don't mean very much if we jettison them when we find them politically inconvenient or difficult to live by. The legislation we voted on today represents a significant departure from our proud history. It would require the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the Director of the FBI, and the Director of National Intelligence to personally certify that each refugee from Syria and Iraq poses no security threat before admission into the United States and would effectively halt the refugee process. This is not the reason I opposed the legislation.…”