Sen. Chuck Schumer is pictured. Schumer opposes 'pause' for Syrian refugee program

Sen. Chuck Schumer said Thursday that he is no longer open to a so-called pause in the flow of Syrian refugees into the United States, as the nation’s resettlement program remains under sharp congressional scrutiny as a potential national security loophole.

Schumer, the powerful third-ranking Senate Democrat, infuriated liberals earlier this week when he said a pause in the Syrian refugee resettlement program “may be necessary” in light of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris. Still, he said that he wanted to wait until he was briefed by administration officials before making a final decision.


On Thursday — after Wednesday’s evening briefing — Schumer said he now opposes any time-out in the resettlement program.

“We had a very good briefing,” the New York Democrat told reporters Thursday. “What they showed us is this: There are about 2,000 refugees who have come here from Syria over the last four years. None have been arrested or deported for terrorism. None.”

Instead, Schumer and fellow Senate Democrats want to focus congressional scrutiny on two measures that they say can better prevent potential security threats to the United States: Reforms to the visa waiver program that allows foreigners from nearly 40 countries to travel here visa-free, and closing the so-called terror gap. Shutting that gap would explicitly bar those on the FBI’s terrorist watch list from purchasing or owning firearms.

The push from Senate Democrats to divert attention from the refugee system came as top House Democrats were scrambling to limit defections on a House GOP bill that would enact more rigorous screening requirements for refugee applicants from Iraq and Syria. The House passed that bill, from House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), on a 289- 137 vote on Thursday afternoon. The final tally included 47 Democratic yes votes, offering a rebuke for the White House which had lobbied against the measure, and giving Republicans a bipartisan victory.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other top House Democrats urged their colleagues to oppose the refugee bill, arguing that its requirements were so onerous that it would effectively stop the refugee program for those from Iraq and Syria. And Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) assured reporters on Thursday that the House measure would not clear the Senate.

“Don’t worry, it won’t get passed. OK?” Reid said Thursday.

The changes to the visa waiver program are being written by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Intelligence committee, with backing from Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). The bill would require any foreigner who had traveled to Iraq or Syria in the previous five years to apply for a visa, even if their country participates in the visa waiver program. The legislation would also mandate additional information about travelers on the visa waiver program, such as fingerprints and photographs.

A growing chorus of Senate Republicans and Democrats is raising security concerns about the visa waiver program. Among the 38 countries whose citizens can come to the United States without a visa are France and Belgium; all the identified attackers last week were either French or Belgian nationals.

“The law blocks visa holders from other countries from buying these guns, but not travelers from the 38 visa waiver countries,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “If we’re going to get serious about keeping America safe, then we have to move beyond the conversation on refugees to the real vulnerabilities which we face.”

The terror gap proposal, meanwhile, is likely to run into Republican opposition due to objections from the influential gun lobby, which has long opposed iterations of the legislation. Jennifer Baker, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association, noted that law enforcement officials are alerted whenever anyone on the FBI's list tries to buy a gun, and that process includes appropriate due process provisions to ensure the FBI is dealing with "truly dangerous people."

"These outrageous soundbites suggest that terrorists are free to legally purchase firearms, and law enforcement is powerless to intervene. That is simply not true," Baker said. "The legislation has languished in Congress for over a decade because it does nothing to prevent terrorist attacks and would deny law-abiding citizens their constitutional rights without due process."

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