IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 25 

Expressing the sense of Congress on the admission of refugees and 

immigrants to the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 15, 2017 

Ms. ADAMS (for herself, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. MOORE, Ms. CLARKE of New 

York, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Mr. SOTO) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 

Judiciary 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress on the admission of 

refugees and immigrants to the United States. 

Whereas, on January 27, 2017, the President of the United 

States signed an Executive order titled ‘‘Protecting the 

Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United 

States’’; 

Whereas this Executive order suspends the Issuance of Visas 

and Other Immigration Benefits to Nationals of Countries of Particular Concern, which include the countries 

Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen; 

and suspension of the issuance of visas and other immigration benefits will last 90 days; 


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•HCON 25 IH 

Whereas agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection were 

also instructed to detain all lawful permanent residents 

from the above countries at U.S. Ports of Entry; 

Whereas this Executive order instructs that ‘‘The Secretary 

of State shall suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 120 days.’’; 

Whereas the President stated in the Executive order, ‘‘I hereby proclaim that the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States 

and thus suspend any such entry until such time as I 

have determined that sufficient changes have been made 

to the USRAP to ensure that admission of Syrian refugees is consistent with the national interest.’’; and Congress does not agree with this determination; 

Whereas the execution of this Executive order did not make 

any provision for individuals already in transit to the 

United States under the U.S. Refugee Admission Program (USRAP); and as a consequence, multiple individuals and families were denied entry at U.S. ports of entry 

after already fleeing highly dangerous and unsafe conditions in their country of origin; 

Whereas the Executive order is the first Executive order since 

2001 to suspend refugee resettlement; 

Whereas since 2001, the refugee admissions process has been 

expanded to include more agencies and review processes 

in determining the security risk of each individual applying for resettlement; 

Whereas today, the refugee admissions process can take up 

to 18 to 24 months. Applying individuals must pass 

through a series of security screenings, including biographic and biometric checks, medical screenings, forenVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:29 Feb 16, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC25.IH HC25

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sic document testing, and in-person interviews; their information is reviewed against law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the Department of State, Department of National Counterterrorism Center, Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and 

Department of Homeland Security, and other Federal 

agencies; 

Whereas the spouse of the individual who carried out an act 

of terrorism on December 2, 2015, in San Bernardino, 

California, was admitted to the United States on a K– 

1 visa for spouses of U.S. citizens; she did not apply for 

refugee resettlement; and the review process for a K–1 

visa is not part of the U.S. Refugee Admission Program; 

Whereas furthermore, this Executive order also instructs the 

Secretary of State to immediately suspend the Visa Interview Waiver Program and ‘‘requires that all individuals 

seeking a nonimmigrant visa undergo an in-person interview, subject to specific statutory exceptions’’; 

Whereas the suspension of the Visa Interview Waiver Program will significantly increase the processing time for all 

visa renewals, including for students pursuing their education in the United States; and individuals that renew 

visas through the Visa Interview Waiver Program are an 

important contribution to U.S. institutions of higher 

learning and the U.S. economy; and 

Whereas if these individuals under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program or applying to receive a visa were involved 

in credible threats against the United States, immigration, intelligence, and law enforcement officials would 

have already carried out enforcement action to prevent 

any terrorist attack: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) the Executive order titled ‘‘Protecting the 

4 Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the 

5 United States’’ is not a testament to the United 

6 States as a Nation that is welcoming to all regard7 less of race, religion, or country of origin; 

8 (2) the President must immediately allow for 

9 the continued entry of refugees that have already 

10 been granted admission to the United States by the 

11 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program; 

12 (3) the United States should continue to reset13 tle refugees that need protection regardless of their 

14 country of origin; 

15 (4) lawful permanent residents be granted entry 

16 into the United States regardless of their country of 

17 origin; and 

18 (5) the Visa Interview Waiver Program not be 

19 suspended while the Secretary of State conducts a 

20 review of all nonimmigrant visa reciprocity agree21 ments to ensure that there are no disruptions to 

22 communities, institutions of education, and inter23 state commerce. 

Æ 


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