The final vote was 289 in favor, with 137 opposed. Some 48 Democrats, a quarter of the party's representatives in the House, broke ranks and voted in favor of the bill. Only three Republicans were against.
Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, opposition to hosting Syrian refugees in the US has grown in many states. The US was planning to receive 30,000 refugees from Syria in 2016, after hundreds of thousands flooded Europe this summer. Now 31 states say they would put a halt on their resettlement or even stop it completely, citing terror concerns.
Two of the terrorists involved in the November 13 Paris terror attacks got into Europe as refugees.
Comment: That's the claim anyway...
House Resolution 4038, the 'American SAFE Act of 2015', was sponsored Republican lawmakers Mike McCaul (R-Texas) and Richard Hudson (R-North Carolina). The bill requires top US security officials (FBI, Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence) to certify that every refugee admitted to the US "does not represent a security threat," according to McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
The floor debate was divided along party lines, with Republicans arguing it was a measure to protect the US from Islamic State militants who might be infiltrating among the Syrian refugees, and Democrats blasting it as a xenophobic attack on President Obama's refugee policy.
The bill ensured that a "benevolent safe haven in America is not used by terrorists to murder Americans," said California Republican Dana Rohrabacher.
"ISIS cannot incapacitate US security leaders - this bill does," by requiring the heads of US intelligence and security agencies to personally sign off on every refugee's security evaluation, said California Democrat Brad Sherman.
Comment: By that logic, if the US passes the bill into law then the US should immediately pull all military out of the Middle East and stop wreaking havoc under the auspices of "fighting ISIS". Don't hold your breath on that one.
As the House voted on a proposed amendment to the bill, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) held a press briefing.
Evaluating refugees so that something like Paris does not happen in the US "is just common sense," Ryan told reporters, adding, "We're a compassionate nation. We don't have to pick among our values."
Protecting the American homeland is not a partisan issue, Ryan said, noting that input from the Democrats was included in the GOP-proposed HR 4038, and that President Obama's threat of a veto "baffled" him.
Sud...denly the political situation in your country changes and a few months later soldiers are gathered in front of your house. And in front of your neighbours’ houses.
They say that if you don’t fight for them, they will shoot you.
Your neighbour refuses.
One shot. That’s it.
You overhear one of the soldiers telling your wife to spread her legs.
Somehow you get rid of the soldiers and spend the night deep in thought.
Suddenly you hear an explosion. Your house no longer has a living room.
You run outside and see that the whole street is destroyed.
Nothing is left standing.
You take your family back into the house, and then you run to your parents' house.
It is no longer there. Nor are your parents.
You look around and find an arm with your Mother’s ring on its finger. You can’t find any other sign of your parents.
~~~~~
"But asylum seekers have so many luxury goods! Smartphones, and designer clothes!"
~~~~~
You immediately forget it. You rush home, and tell your wife to get the children dressed. You grab a small bag, because anything bigger will be impossible to carry for a long time, and in it you pack essentials. Only 2 pieces of clothing each can fit in the bag.
What do you take?
You will probably never see your home country again.
Not your family, not your neighbours, your workmates…
But how can you stay in contact?
You hastily throw your smartphone and the charger in the bag.
Along with the few clothes, some bread and your small daughters favourite teddy.
~~~~~
"They can easily afford to get away. They aren’t poor!"
~~~~~
Because you could see the emergency coming, you have already scraped all your money together.
You managed to save some money because of your well paid job.
The kind people smuggler in the neighbourhood charges 5,000 euros per person.
You have 15,000 euros. With a bit of luck, you’ll all be able to go. If not, you will have to let your wife go.
You love her and pray that you the smugglers will take you all.
By now you are totally wiped out and have nothing else. Just your family and the bag.
The journey to the border takes two weeks on foot.
You are hungry and for the last week have barely eaten. You are weak, as is your wife. But at least the children have enough.
They have cried for the whole 2 weeks.
Half the time you have to carry your younger daughter. She is only 21 months old.
A further 2 weeks and you arrive at the sea.
In the middle of the night you’re loaded onto a ship with other refugees.
You are lucky: your whole family can travel.
The ship is so full that it threatens to capsize. You pray that you don’t drown.
The people around you are crying and screaming.
A few small children have died of thirst.
The smugglers throw them overboard.
Your wife sits, vacantly, in a corner. She hasn’t had anything to drink for 2 days.
When the coast is in sight, you are loaded onto small boats.
Your wife and the younger child are on one, you and your older child are on another.
You are warned to stay silent so that nobody knows you’re there.
Your older daughter understands.
But your younger one in the other boat doesn’t. She doesn’t stop crying.
The other refugees are getting nervous. They demand that your wife keeps the child quiet.
She doesn’t manage it.
One of the men grabs your daughter, rips her away from your wife and throws her overboard.
You jump in after her, but you can’t find her again.
Never again.
In 3 months she would have turned 2 years old.
Isn’t that enough for you? They still have it too good here and have everything handed to them on a plate?
You don’t know how you, your wife and your older daughter manage to get to the country that takes you in.
It’s as though everything is all foggy. Your wife hasn’t spoken a word since your daughter died.
Your older daughter hasn’t let go of her sister’s teddy and is totally apathetic.
But you have to keep going. You are just about to arrive at the emergency accommodation.
It is 10pm. A man whose language you don’t understand takes you to a hall with camp beds. There are 500 beds all very close together.
In the hall it’s stuffy and loud.
You try to get your bearings. To understand what the people there want from you.
But in reality you can barely stand up. You nearly wish that they had shot you.
Instead you unpack your meagre possessions:
Two items of clothing each and your smartphone.
Then you spend your first night in a safe country.
The next morning you’re given some clothes.
Among the donated clothes are even branded ‘label’ clothes. And a toy for your daughter.
You are given 140 euros. For the whole month.
~~~~~
"They’re safe here. Therefore they should be happy!"
~~~~~
Outside in the yard, dressed in your new clothes, you hold your smartphone high in the air and hope to have some reception.
You need to know if anyone from your city is still alive.
Then a 'concerned citizen‘ comes by and abuses you.
You don’t know why. You don’t understand “Go back to your own country!"
You understand some things like “smartphone” and “handed everything on a plate.”
Somebody translates it for you.
~~~~~
And now tell me how you feel and what you own?
The answer to both parts of that is “Nothing