American SAFE Act of 2015

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015 or the American SAFE Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill requires that, in addition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) screening, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shall take all actions necessary to ensure that each covered alien receives a background investigation before U.S. refugee admission.

A "covered alien" is any alien applying for U.S. refugee admission who:

• is a national or resident of Iraq or Syria,
• has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Iraq or Syria, or
• has been present in Iraq or Syria at any time on or after March 1, 2011.

A covered alien:

• may not be admitted as a refugee until the FBI certifies to DHS and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) that he or she has received a background investigation sufficient to determine whether the alien is a U.S. security threat; and
• may only be admitted to the United States after DHS, with the unanimous concurrence of the FBI and the DNI, certifies to Congress that he or she is not such a threat.

The Inspector General of DHS shall conduct annual risk-based reviews of all certifications.

DHS shall report monthly to Congress on the total number of admission applications for which a certification was made and the number of covered aliens for whom such a certification was not made for the preceding month. The report shall include for each covered alien for whom a certification was not made the concurrence or nonconcurrence of each person whose concurrence was required by the certification.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov