The American Un-Safe Act of 2015: Patriotism and Prejudice

Elizabeth Goforth

Professor Stokes

English 111

December 14, 2015

The American Un-SAFE Act of 2015: Patriotism and Prejudice

        With the threat of terrorist attacks looming in recent events, particularly concerning the Daesh, our government is constantly trying to find new ways to prevent future attacks. Immigration and screening processes for refugees are brewing in the minds of politicians everywhere. One such bill that has already been passed by the House of Representatives, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015, proposes that,“in addition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) screening, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shall take all actions necessary to ensure that each covered alien receives a background investigation before US refugee admission” (United States Congress, 2015). While this might sound good in theory, the reality is that it is unnecessary. The American SAFE Act of 2015 simply prolongs the already lengthy process of being resettled as a refugee in the United States.

        What makes the American SAFE act of 2015 so obsolete? To find the answer, you have to look at our current refugee resettlement program. At the moment, prospective refugees are interviewed by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to determine refugee eligibility. If the refugee passes their interview, the UNHCR recommends the refugee to a national resettlement program; most countries have such a program, but the refugee gets no say in where they will end up. If they are referred to the United States, then US refugee officers screen the applicant again and decide whether or not they will be accepted. Officers from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, within the Department of Homeland Security, re-assess the applicant's eligibility for refugee status. Then, staff members at the refugee centers will collect biometric and biographical data before preparing a file for review by another officer within the Department of Homeland Security. At this point in the process, multiple security checks are run on each refugee by government agencies such as the National Counterterrorism Center and the FBI Terrorist Screening Center. The entire process lasts several months, sometimes years, all overseas (U.S. Dept. of State, 2015). Just from looking at this information, you can tell how thoroughly each applicant's screening is. According to Simon Henshaw, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration,

“Syrian refugees go through yet additional forms of security screening...We have [for years] safely admitted refugees from all over the world, including Syrian refugees, and we have a great deal of experience screening and admitting large numbers of refugees from chaotic environments, including where intelligence holdings are limited” (U.S. Dept. of State, 2015).

This shows that government agencies responsible for refugee screening are aware of how Syrian people may be radicalized and are taking necessary precautions before admitting them into the United States.