Making America SAFE

Last week, in two separate stings in Texas and California, the FBI arrested two Iraqi refugees for connections to terrorism. These individuals were screened in accordance with the Obama Administration’s “rigorous” vetting standards, which include interviews, fingerprinting and running refugees’ names against databases. It didn’t work. As I have long warned, these individuals cannot be properly vetted because such counter-terrorism databases simply do not exist in the nations the refugees are emigrating from.

Back in November, I introduced the American SAFE Act, which puts a pause on the refugee program until the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence can certify that each individual coming to the United States is declared without question to be a non-threat. This means, any individual who has holes in their background information, or simply they have no traceable information, would not be admitted. Just because a person does not have a previous record of committing an act of terrorism does not mean the individual is not a terrorist or a terrorist sympathizer. Suicide bombers are not repeat offenders, many times there is nothing in their past to indicate they will strike. People who give shelter, supplies, passage and support to terrorists are gravely dangerous as well.

The SAFE Act passed the House with a bipartisan, veto-proof majority. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats balked at this common sense legislation. I pressed Congressional negotiators to include the SAFE Act in the Omnibus bill, but Minority Leader Reid refused. However, Republican leadership promised to take it up once we came back this year.

2016 is here, and in the wake of two Iraqi refugees being arrested in the U.S. for ties to terrorism, it’s clear we can not afford to wait any longer. Last week, I led a coalition of 34 House lawmakers to urge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to make good on his promise, and bring the American SAFE Act to a vote in the Senate.

In October, FBI Director James Comey testified before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing that they “do see a risk” in the current vetting process for Syrian refugees entering the United States. Likewise, during House Homeland Security Committee Hearings the FBI also admitted that they could not properly vet these individuals, saying “You have to have information to vet,” because “databases don’t [have] the information on those individuals, and that’s the concern.”

Our government’s first Constitutional duty is to provide for a strong national defense. That is an obligation that all members of Congress and the President share.

Despite his oath, the President has threatened to veto this important national security measure. Yet in 2011, the refugee program was on pause by the State Department after "dozens" of Iraqi bomb makers were allowed to immigrate to the U.S. as refugees. We are simply asking to repeat these prudent steps: Pause and strengthen the vetting.

When I’m sitting in the gymnasium watching my son wrestle, I look around at all the families who have gathered to enjoy the moment, and it sinks in what is at stake if just one slips through the cracks.

We all have a stake in this, and we all have to do our part. I applaud the professionals at the FBI who were diligent and made the arrests. I applaud Montana ranchers who have committed to patrolling their ranches for illegal crossings on the U.S.–Canada border. And, I applaud the more than 40 House Democrats who crossed party lines to support this commonsense national security measure.

I spent my 23-year career identifying threats and non-threats. The ugly truth is there is a lot of evil in the world, and evil exploits every tragedy, weakness and hole possible to inflict harm. I’m no longer on the front lines in the Middle East, but I am on the front lines of policy. And when we have the chance to fix a bad policy that makes us less safe, it’s my obligation to do it. I call on the Senate to do the right thing and bring the SAFE Act to a vote.

Ryan Zinke is the Republican congressman for Montana's at-large congressional district.