The SAFE Act (full title American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015) was a United States legislative proposal for Syrian and Iraqi refugees that would require extra background investigation before entry into the US. Additional procedure to authorize admission for each refugee *The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) certifies they received a background investigation sufficient to determine whether the refugee is a U.S. security threat, to both the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

(DHS) and the Director of National Intelligence. *The Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Director of National Intelligence unanimously certify to Congress that the refugee not such a threat. The bill was first introduced in the House on November 17, 2015, by Michael McCaul. It was passed by the House, but on January 20, 2016, it failed

cloture Cloture (, also ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. ' ...

in the senate (also known as a filibuster.)

Background

The SAFE Act was created in response to the November 2015 Paris attacks, out of concern that

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

terrorists would enter the United States posing as refugees fleeing Syria.

Criticism

FBI Director

James Comey James Brien Comey Jr. (; born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his dismissal in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adul ...

said the SAFE Act "seeks to micromanage the process in a way that is counter-productive to national security, to our humanitarian obligation, and the overall ability to focus on Homeland Security". Vice-President of the European Commission

Federica Mogherini Federica Mogherini (; born 16 June 1973) is an Italian politician who served as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. She previously served as I ...

pointed out that the Paris attackers were EU citizens, not Syrian refugees.

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

threatened to veto the legislation if passed.

References

{{Immigration to the United States United States proposed federal immigration and nationality legislation Proposed legislation of the 114th United States Congress