Nov 24, 2015 By J.D. Prose jprose@calkins.Com 2 min read

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster on Tuesday reiterated his opposition to the United States accepting Syrian refugees in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.

“I believe it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Shuster, R-9, Hollidaysburg, said on a conference call with regional reporters. “I feel bad about those people coming from war torn states, but at the end of the day my concern is the American people.”

Last week, Shuster voted for the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act (SAFE), which would halt the influx of Syrian and Iraqi refugees until individuals can undergo security screenings and be approved by the secretary of Homeland Security and the directors of the FBI and National Intelligence.

The SAFE Act passed the House 289-137 and goes to the Senate, but Pres-ident Barack Obama has promised a veto if it gets to his desk. Administration officials have said the bill is unreasonable and unnecessary because there is already an extensive background check system in place for refugees.

But, Shuster said there is a big difference between an immigrant from Germany or Russia or another established country and one from war-ravaged Syria or Iraq. “These (refugees) are coming from failed states,” he said, which makes the vetting process extremely difficult.

Critics, though, have said the anti-refugee movement is discrimination based on the refugees’ ethnicity and religion.

The ISIS-linked terrorists who pulled off the Paris attacks were radicalized Muslims, at least one of whom entered France posing as a Syrian refugee.

Shuster denied any discriminatory intentions, saying protecting his fellow citizens is his only goal in supporting the halt of refugees. “It’s pure and simple the security of America and I think it’s prudent,” he said.

With the Obama administration planning on taking in 10,000 refugees in 2016, Shuster said even if the existing security system in place is 99 percent effective that would still mean 100 potential terrorists could enter the United States.

“We’re talking about the security of the American people,” he said.