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 fol-
lowing 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 Coun-
tries of Particular Concern, which include the countries 
Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen; 
and suspension of the issuance of visas and other immi-
gration 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 Pro-
gram (USRAP) for 120 days.’’; 
Whereas the President stated in the Executive order, ‘‘I here-
by proclaim that the entry of nationals of Syria as refu-
gees 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 refu-
gees is consistent with the national interest.’’; and Con-
gress 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 Pro-
gram (USRAP); and as a consequence, multiple individ-
uals and families were denied entry at U.S. ports of entry 
after already fleeing highly dangerous and unsafe condi-
tions 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 apply-
ing 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 bio-
graphic and biometric checks, medical screenings, foren-
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•HCON 25 IH 
sic document testing, and in-person interviews; their in-
formation is reviewed against law enforcement and intel-
ligence agencies, including the Department of State, De-
partment of National Counterterrorism Center, Depart-
ment 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 Inter-
view Waiver Program and ‘‘requires that all individuals 
seeking a nonimmigrant visa undergo an in-person inter-
view, subject to specific statutory exceptions’’; 
Whereas the suspension of the Visa Interview Waiver Pro-
gram will significantly increase the processing time for all 
visa renewals, including for students pursuing their edu-
cation 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 Admis-
sions Program or applying to receive a visa were involved 
in credible threats against the United States, immigra-
tion, 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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Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Executive order titled ‘‘Protecting the 
Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the 
United States’’ is not a testament to the United 
States as a Nation that is welcoming to all regard-
less of race, religion, or country of origin; 
(2) the President must immediately allow for 
the continued entry of refugees that have already 
been granted admission to the United States by the 
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program; 
(3) the United States should continue to reset-
tle refugees that need protection regardless of their 
country of origin; 
(4) lawful permanent residents be granted entry 
into the United States regardless of their country of 
origin; and 
(5) the Visa Interview Waiver Program not be 
suspended while the Secretary of State conducts a 
review of all nonimmigrant visa reciprocity agree-
ments to ensure that there are no disruptions to 
communities, institutions of education, and inter-
state commerce. 
Æ 
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