Markup of Iraq/Syria Genocide Bill

House Committee Expected to Strip Refugee Provisions from Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Rep. Chris Smith

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs has scheduled a business meeting for this week, during which it will mark up a number of measures, including H.R. 390, the "Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act".  In acting, however, the Committee is expected to strip all of the refugee-related provisions from the bill.

This week's markup session is scheduled for 10:30 am on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Room 2172 of The Rayburn House Office Building.

Summary of Immigration- and Refugee-Related Provisions.  As introduced by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), H.R. 390 contains a number of provisions that, taken together, would declare actions taking place in Iraq and Syria genocide and provide emergency assistance and refugee protections for Christian and other religious minority genocide survivors.
 
Among its key provisions, as introduced, H.R. 390 would direct the U.S. Administration to--

• Support entities that are effectively serving genocide survivors in-country, including faith-based entities;

 

• Support entities that are conducting criminal investigations into perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Iraq and Syria;

 

• Assess and address the humanitarian vulnerabilities, needs, and triggers that might force survivors to flee their homes;

 

• Identify warning signs of deadly violence and other forms of persecution against genocide survivors from vulnerable religious and ethnic minority communities, or against other members of these communities, in Iraq or Syria;

 

• Identify gaps in U.S. law so that the American justice system can prosecute foreign perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes present in the U.S., as well as any Americans who commit such crimes; and

 

• Encourage foreign countries to add identifying information about suspected perpetrators of such crimes to their security databases and security screening.

With respect to refugees, the measure would –

• Create a “Priority Two” (“P-2”) designation that Christians and other genocide survivors from religious and ethnic minority communities are of “special humanitarian concern to the United States” and therefore able to access an overseas application interview for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program without needing a referral from the UN;

 

• Vet P-2 refugee applicants like any other Iraqi or Syrian refugee applicant and not admit them to the U.S. unless they have cleared this vetting; and

 

• Reauthorize the "Lautenberg" amendment, which establishes a relaxed  adjudicatory standard for religious minorities in  the Former Soviet Union (FSU), Iran, and Southeast Asia seeking to resettle in  the  United  States.

 
Committee Consideration.  The bill’s author, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), is expected to offer a substitute amendment to the bill during the markup that makes a number of changes to the bill, including stripping out all of the refugee-related provisions.
 
Outlook.  The bill does not have any organized opposition on the Committee. 

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