Former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright are among the letter's signatories, which argues that the process for vetting refugees is already thorough enough. | AP Photo Albright, Kissinger ask Congress to back off refugee legislation

Madeleine Albright, Henry Kissinger and David Petraeus have joined other national security experts and military leaders in calling on Congress to stop proposals that could deter the flow of Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the U.S.

“We believe that America can and should continue to provide refuge to those fleeing violence and persecution without compromising the security and safety of our nation," reads the letter, which was signed by a group of 20 bipartisan policy experts and sent to Congress on Tuesday. “To do otherwise would be contrary to our nation’s traditions of openness and inclusivity, and would undermine our core objective of combating terrorism,” it continues.


The letter writers said that the current refugee vetting process is already “robust and thorough.”

"Given the stringent measures in place, we are especially concerned by proposals that would derail or further delay the resettlement of Iraqis who risked their lives to work with the U.S. military and other U.S. organizations. These refugees were given priority access to U.S. resettlement under the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act. The United States has a moral obligation to protect them,” they said.

The letter continues, “Refugees are victims, not perpetrators, of terrorism. Categorically refusing to take them only feeds the narrative of ISIS that there is a war between Islam and the West, that Muslims are not welcome in the United States and Europe, and that the ISIS caliphate is their true home.”

After the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris that left 130 dead, the House quickly passed legislation that would tighten screening for Syrian refugees, despite a veto threat from Obama. The Senate has yet to formally act.

The full list of signatories is below:

Madeleine K. Albright, Former Secretary of State

Madeleine K. Albright, Former Secretary of State Samuel R. Berger, Former National Security Advisor

Zbigniew K. Brzezinski, Former National Security Advisor

General George W. Casey, Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.), Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

Michael Chertoff, Former Secretary of Homeland Security

William S. Cohen, Former Secretary of Defense

Stephen J. Hadley, Former National Security Advisor

Chuck Hagel, Former Secretary of Defense

General Michael V. Hayden, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency

General James L. Jones, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), Former National Security Advisor, Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Former Commandant of the Marine Corps

Henry A. Kissinger, Former Secretary of State, Former National Security Advisor

General Richard B. Myers, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

Janet A. Napolitano, Former Secretary of Homeland Security

Leon E. Panetta, Former Secretary of Defense, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency

General David H. Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.), Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency, Former Commander, U.S. Central Command

William J. Perry, Former Secretary of Defense

Brent Scowcroft, Former National Security Advisor

George P. Shultz, Former Secretary of State

Admiral James G. Stavridis, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Former Commander, U.S. Southern Command

General John W. Vessey, Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.), Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff