Rep. Brian Babin on new focus on refugees coming into US

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Rep. Brian Babin on new focus on refugees coming into US

On 'Your World,' lawmaker slams the president for being 'intransigent'

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," January 8, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST:  Texas Republican Congressman Brian Babin wants to get to the bottom of this sort of thing, says it`s the reason why he is so worried about refugees, period, coming in, no matter what kind of assurances he gets that they have been thoroughly vetted.

I guess not all the time, have they been, right?  What do you make of this, Congressman?

REP. BRIAN BABIN, R-TEXAS:  Absolutely, Neil.

As I have said on your show numerous times in the past, ISIS has pledged to exploit this refugee program, and if there were any doubts before, this dissipates that.

This president is intransigent.  Unbelievably, he wants to increase background checks on law-abiding American citizens to carry arms, and yet he is threatened to veto the SAFE Act, which would enhance background checks on these people wanting to come in from the Middle East, from Syria.

And this -- look no further than what we have seen in Sacramento and Houston, where I represent, and this latest attack in -- today in Philadelphia.

This is -- this is -- I think Americans are very apprehensive.  That`s why we have gun ownership and gun sales are going through the ceiling.  And the president wants to...

CAVUTO:  Well, no, no, on this issue in particular, you`re right.  We can get into the guns in a minute.  That`s a whole sticky wicket in itself.

But I -- how easily these guys are able to slip through the system, and it was only by accident that we discovered them.  So, I`m wondering how many other potential accidents there are there?  I know this is a Herculean task, tracking everybody, but it becomes even more so when we widen the pool to 10,000 more from a dangerous neck of the woods.  Right?

BABIN:  There`s no question about it.

We found out right before Christmas that the FBI has over 1,000 cases against ISIS suspected terrorists, 48 of which are high-risk and are being surveilled 24/7.  That`s an expensive surveil.

And so they`re here.  They`re coming in.  I -- my bill, actually, 3314, is the only bill that would absolutely stop and suspend this program until Congress gives an up-or-down vote on it, and we`re satisfied that we can properly vet these people.

But, until that time, the FBI director, the secretary of homeland security say they can`t possibly do these types of vetting sufficiently to screen out these terrorists.

CAVUTO:  All right, thank you, Congressman, very much.  Good seeing you again.

BABIN:  Thank you, Neil.

CAVUTO:  All right.

END

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