94 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206; (518) 465-4600; www.citizenactionny.

org

November 23, 2015

Re: H.R. 4038 - American SAFE Act of 2015

Dear Representative:

On behalf of Citizen Action of New York, a statewide membership organization with chapters
throughout New York State that advocates for social, racial, economic and environmental
justice, we are writing to express our deep dismay as to your November 19th vote in favor of
legislation that would shut down the process of admitting refugees, many of them children,
from worn-torn Iraq and Syria.

As you know, the American SAFE (Security Against Foreign Enemies) Act of 2015 (H.R. 4038)
would prohibit nationals or residents of Iraq or Syria from being admitted as refugees until the
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the
Director of National Intelligence all certify that the individual is not a threat to the security of
the United States. The requirements in the bill add totally unreasonable barriers to a thorough
process that already takes 18-24 months, a process that is so rigorous that only 1,800 Syrian
refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011. This
legislation has been shown to be simply unnecessary. As the White House has indicated, no
Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S. have been arrested or removed on terrorism charges.

We can only reluctantly conclude that this bill -- put together and passed with lightning speed
without careful deliberation -- is a politically motivated reaction to the understandable fear and
sadness that has resulted from the frightening and reprehensible attacks in Paris just over a
week ago.

But the worlds horror does not call for political posturing but leadership. The roughly 2,000
refugees the U.S. has settled since 2012 are less than one percent of the 4.2 million people who
have been part of this refugee crisis. Even in the wake of the horrible attack on his nation,
President Hollande of France has committed to taking in 30,000 people displaced from Syria.
We must use our position as the worlds most powerful nation to set an example to other
countries as to the treatment of refugees -- not succumb to irrational fears. We
wholeheartedly agree with Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan that: [we] must keep in mind
that our nation was founded by immigrants and has historically welcomed refugees when there
is suffering around the globe. Without a doubt, history will judge whether in this time of

humanitarian crisis, our nation reacted with compassion or callousness to the suffering of
people facing danger in wartime.

On behalf of our thousands of members and supporters throughout the state, we ask you to
withdraw your support from this ill-advised legislation. Instead, we ask you to support policies
that will alleviate the suffering of refugees from the Middle East, and which will lead to
solutions to the crisis that brought about their suffering.

Sincerely yours,

Ivette Alfonso





James Anderson
President, Board of Directors




Vice President, Board of
Directors
(Albany resident)





(Buffalo resident)