Asian American lawmakers oppose House vote halting Syrian refugees

DESPITE the House of Representatives’ swift vote last week that would halt President Barack Obama’s program to admit Syrian refugees into the United States, the large majority of Asian-American members of Congress voted against the bill, arguing that it went against basic American values.

“No refugees [on American soil] have committed a terrorist act,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) told NBC News. “If you look at what happened in Paris, those attacks were committed by French nationals and Belgian citizens. So by the Republican logic you should be banning travel to the United States by French and Belgians. And if that sounds ridiculous, so should the idea of scapegoating Syrian orphans, widows, and senior citizens fleeing persecution.”

Those three categories, Lieu said, represent the majority of the 2,220 Syrian refugees that have been admitted to the US so far.

Lieu also mentioned how recent public comments made by David Bowers, mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, shows the recurring fear which has distorted American politics. Bowers referred to the racist Japanese-American internment during World War II as justification to deny Syrian refugees’ entry.

Rep. Mike Honda of California, chairman emeritus of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and a former internee, sad he was “disappointed by the vote, and by how some in Congress would use war hysteria, racial prejudice and religion…and not provide the necessary political leadership in the face of popular sentiment that is wrong headed.”

“I voted NO on HR4038. This bill is just a political symbol, not a real solution for the refugees crisis #SyrianRefugees #NeverAgain9066” Honda tweeted on Thursday, Nov. 19.

Honda said the bill actually would create a new system of vetting the refugees that could take up to five years to implement which “would essentially allow legislators to avoid addressing resettlement.”

In his remarks on the House floor on Nov. 19, Rep. Mark Takano of California addressed Mayor Bowers’s comments, saying, “What takes wisdom is recognizing that history is now repeating itself. And what takes courage is sending a message to the world that America will protect innocent people regardless of their nationality or religion.”

Members of CAPAC, comprised of Asian American and Pacific Islander members of Congress who advocate for the needs of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, were nearly unanimous in their vote against the restrictive measure.

Of two members who joined nearly 50 Democrats to forge a bipartisan majority for the bill was Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), who in 2014 called for the immediate suspension of the Visa Waiver Program for countries “that have large numbers of Islamic extremists actively fighting alongside groups such as ISIL in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

Gabbard did not comment to press on her vote, but posted on her Facebook: “I’m doing my due diligence to find out exactly how these refugees are going to be vetted, and getting details from the Department of Homeland Security and relevant intelligence agencies responsible for vetting Syrian refugees before they are allowed to enter the United States.”

Rep. Ami Bera, the only Indian American currently serving in Congress, was the second CAPAC member who voted in favor of the bill.

“It is critical that our first priority is to keep America safe–that is why I voted today for a bill to ensure that all Syrian refugees are thoroughly vetted. This additional screening step will ensure that we know those coming into the country are not a security threat,” Bera announced in a statement.

Rep. Lieu, however, disagreed, saying the House bill’s creation of extra security for every refugee–who already endures an 18 to 24-month vetting process before determining eligibility into the US–is a waste of time and effort by national security agencies.

“We should make our intelligence gathering better and that would prevent a Paris-style attack, not focusing on widows fleeing Syria,” said Lieu. “The bill gives terrorists exactly what they want, which is an overreaction from Western countries that feed into their rhetoric to get more recruits.”

“We should be doing what France is doing. France suffered these horrific terrorist attacks last week and are letting in tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.”

The 289-137 majority vote makes the bill veto proof, and it is unclear if the Senate will take a look after they return from the Thanksgiving holiday. The measure also faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he would try to block the bill.

Congresswoman Rep. Judy Chu, CAPAC chair, also tweeted her sentiments shortly after the vote: “It’s time to stop the xenophobic rhetoric around #SyrianRefugees before we regret it. Again.”