Syrian Refugees In America? Tough Screening Bill Passes House, Despite Veto Threat

Lawmakers in the House overwhelmingly passed a measure to toughen admission requirement for Syrian refugees on Thursday, according to the New York Times. Despite a Republican-only drafting process the bill attracted bipartisan support: 47 Democrats voted “yes” on the bill, according to Politico. The sweeping support is a blow to President Obama’s administration, who scrambled this week to reassure Congress that the current refugee program effectively filters out potential terrorists. The bill rode on fear following the terrorist attacks in Paris, and unconfirmed reports that one of the attackers may have been Syrian or used a forged Syrian passport to infiltrate france.

Support for the bill is an immediate victory for newly-minted Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in his first real legislative effort since replacing John Boehner just weeks ago. With a 289 to 137 and support from Democrats, it will be even harder for President Obama to veto the bill, as he has pledged to do.

“This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. This is about keeping America safe,” Ryan posted on his Twitter feed Thursday, quoting remarks made to Fox News’ Sean Hannity Wednesday.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it’s unclear how much support it will get. Rest assured that the White House will be lobbying senators intensely in the coming days. Supporters of the bill can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote, an easy feat in the House but a very difficult task for Ryan’s colleagues in the Senate.

Even if Obama is able to preserve his veto, supporters of the Syrian refugee bill are likely to threaten a government shutdown. The next government funding fight is only weeks away, with a shutdown imminent on Dec. 11 if Congress doesn’t approve another spending bill.

And what about that Syrian passport, the forgery found near the body of the ISIS attacker? On Wednesday, reports indicated that it might have been left to intentionally deceive Western governments. If proven true, the reports would make Ryan appear to be a victim of ISIS propaganda.

The real motivation of the terrorist group’s use of that passport may take months to uncover. If ISIS’ true intention was to provoke a backlash against Syrian migrants, Ryan’s efforts might backfire. Fear-mongering against Syrians hasn’t worked in France; the country has kept its pledged to accept 30,000 refugees over the next two years.