Collins: Suspend Admission of Syrian Refugees

9th District U.S. Representative Doug Collins has called on the U.S. government to suspend admission of Syrian refugees along with refugees of other countries ruled by terrorist organizations until a rigorous screening process is put in place.

Collins said that while there are an extraordinary number of men, women, and children from the Middle East who are being forced to flee their homes because of ISIS. the U.S. cannot put its national security at risk by waiving through hundreds of thousands of people from countries ruled by terrorist organizations, who would pose a threat to Americans on American soil.

The Hall County Republican said the terrorist attack in Paris on Friday could have happened here and turning a blind eye to the President’s plan to allow 10,000 refugees from Syria next year will only make us more vulnerable to attacks, possibly carried out by those we let in willingly.

He said that until the U.S. can put a rigorous screening process in place, I support suspending admission to refugees from those countries.

This statement from Collins came on the same day that Georgia Governor Nathan Deal announced that he would not accept Syrian refugees in Georgia and also called upon the President to suspend the resettlement program in the United States.

Deal said he is also calling upon the Obama administration to work with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security to confirm the backgrounds of the 59 Syrian refugees recently resettled to ensure they do not pose a security threat to citizens.

The governor said that until the federal government and Congress conducts a thorough review of current screening procedures and background checks, the state government will take every measure available to them to ensure the safety of Georgians.