By John R. Carter

President Obama needs to wake up and realize that we are at war. When he took office in 2009, he stopped using the term ‘War on Terror’ because he wanted to bury his head in the sand and ignore the fact that radical Islamic terrorists that seek the destruction of the western world have waged war against the United States and our allies. These murderous thugs are seeking any way possible to infiltrate our great nation. Their so-called “Caliphate” calls for the destruction of our livelihood, freedoms, and overall existence.

I will not stand by and allow these terrorist to infiltrate our homeland. We must take the fight to them, to their home base, and destroy their operations. We cannot, and I will not, allow them to bring the fight to American soil. That is why I am in support of stricter regulations on our visa waiver program and blocking refugees from Syria and Iraq from coming to America.

I proudly supported the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, legislation that prevents admission to the U.S. of any proposed Syrian or Iraqi refugee until the nation’s top security officials unanimously certify that each individual does not represent a security threat. It makes an already thorough process, all done outside of the United States, more secure by putting in place the most robust national-security vetting process in history for any refugee population.

I support even stronger measures and am a proud cosponsor of the Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act.  This bill will rein in the Obama Administration’s plans to bring an additional 10,000 refugees from Syria, and give Congress more control over the process by requiring the Administration to get approval from Congress before any refugees may be admitted into the United States. 

I am also a co-sponsor of H.R.4197, which amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit the Governor of a State to reject the resettlement of a refugee in that State unless there is adequate assurance that the refugee does not present a security risk. This ensures states like Texas have the tools they need to protect their citizens

Another step we are taking to secure our homeland is through stricter regulations to our Visa Waiver Program (VWP) which allows Americans to travel to 38 qualifying countries with ease, and allows their citizens to more easily visit the United States. Recently, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed, with my support, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act. This bill, among other things, requires all travelers under the VWP to have fraud-resistant electronic passports, enhances screening by all VWP partner countries, and allows the U.S. to suspend program countries that refuse to share counterterrorism information with U.S. officials.

Even as President Obama has said he supports the improvements to the VWP, he unfortunately continues to enforce more of the same failed policies that have allowed ISIS to grow even stronger, leading to the Syrian refugee crisis unfolding across the Middle East region today. President Obama believes his strategy is working, yet we know better. 

While I have compassion for the many refugees in desperate situations around the world, I believe at this time we must do everything in our power to ensure the safety of Texans, and all Americans, first. America has a long history of providing safe haven for many of the world’s most vulnerable, yet we must ensure that we do not allow terrorists to exploit the refugee resettlement program to gain entry into the United States.

We are at war with radical Islamists. In this time of increased global threats, with the recent terrorist attacks in San Bernardino and around the world, I am committed to keeping Texans safe and I will continue to support all efforts to secure our homeland. I hope the President will join me in this fight.

John R. Carter is a Republican and represents Texas District 31 in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Fort Hood, the largest military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. 

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