Resettlement Agency Raises Concern After Refugee Bill Passes House
The vote in the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday that increases security checks on some refugees is raising some protest here in the Triad.
The bill – called “The American SAFE Act of 2015” – would essentially create a new vetting process for Iraqi and Syrian refugees. Top security officials would have to sign off on each individual, and the entire application process would be stopped while the new one is put in place.
But Andrew Timbie with World Relief High Point says the bill is not based on facts, but on knee-jerk reaction.
In an email, Timbie says he understands the concern about protecting Americans from terrorism. But he says the consequences of the current rhetoric surrounding Syrian refugees will fall on some of the world's most vulnerable people.
"Our main regret right now with many of our leaders is that they have chosen to speak first and do their due diligence later," Timbie wrote, "and our fear is that now they will not be able to back down from this stance, no matter the facts."
Under the current application system, it can take 18-24 months for a person to gain refugee status in the U.S.
North Carolina is currently home to 59 Syrian refugees.
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