WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, President Donald Trump announced a temporary pause on admitting refugees from certain Middle Eastern and African countries until proper security vetting measures are in place.
 
Since the onset of the refugee crisis, FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that there are “gaps” in security screening for refugees coming into the United States. Numerous other intelligence officials and analysts have raised similar concerns. 
 
This analysis, along with intelligence that Islamist terrorists are trying to infiltrate the United States through the lax refugee system, led conservatives in the House of Representatives to ask the Obama Administration to put a hold on refugees until the gaps are filled. 
 
Due to a lack of evidence that changes were made, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) joined 37 of his colleagues in the House of Representatives in a letter asking congressional leaders to prevent funding from being used to admit refugees from terrorist hotspots from entering the United States. 
 
“We know that terrorists want to hurt us, and they know our refugee system is a weak point,” said Davidson regarding the announcement. “The Administration’s pause on allowing refugees from terrorist strongholds is a commonsense solution in the effort to protect American citizens. The United States will still be a place that welcomes refugees, but we will now review our screening procedures to ensure members of ISIS and its affiliates do not infiltrate our country.”
 
The announced hold comes with exemptions for persecuted religious minorities in these Middle Eastern and African countries.