Ayotte Supports Bill to Strengthen Refugee Screening Process

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte today voted in favor of the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act to strengthen the screening process for refugees from Syria and Iraq seeking to enter the United States. The SAFE Act requires the nation's top security agencies to certify that individuals do not pose a security threat before they are admitted to the U.S. as a refugee. The legislation previously passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. Unfortunately, the bill failed to advance in the Senate on a party line vote of 55 to 43.

"Given serious concerns from top intelligence officials about gaps in our refugee screening process, we need to strengthen the process to ensure that those seeking to enter our country have no ties to ISIS," said Senator Ayotte. "This is a common sense measure that would tighten security checks on refugees from Syria and Iraq to ensure they do not pose a threat to the homeland, and I'm disappointed that Senate Democrats blocked legislation that would better protect Americans."

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