Rep. Scott Peters joined the Republican Congressional majority in voting for emergency legislation to require more extensive background checks before Syrian refugees can be resettled in the United States.
Peters, a Democrat, joined the Republican majority in the 289-137 vote in the House of Representatives. Among the San Diego delegation, only Reps. Susan Davis and Juan Vargas voted against the legislation.
The legislation, called American SAFE Act of 2015, requires the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to certify each refugee as non-threatening before allowing them into the United States.
“The administration has not made the case to me that today’s bill will shut down or unduly delay our existing process,” Peters said after the vote. “It is not too burdensome for federal agencies to certify that admitted refugees will not endanger our communities.”
Peters said the new law “does not close our borders…or otherwise undermine the values and freedoms that make our country so great.”
