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=== Refugees from religious intolerance ===
In March, 2013, Gabbard joined with ten other Democratic and eight Republican representatives in a letter to President Obama asking that he "extend and reform visa programs for Iraqi and Afghan allies … who have risked their lives to aid our troops and protect America’s security, … as federal agencies have issued only a fraction of the visas that Congress originally authorized."<ref>{{Cite web |last=International Refugee Assistance Project |first= |last2= |first2= |last3= |first3= |title=Congress Demands Action on Special Immigrant Visa Program {{!}} International Refugee Assistance Project |url=https://refugeerights.org/news-resources/congress-demands-action-on-special-immigrant-visa-program/ |titleaccess-date=Congress2022-05-13 Demands Action on Special Immigrant Visa Program|datewebsite=Marchrefugeerights.org 19, 2013|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref>
In September, 2015, Gabbard sponsored a bill with [[Duncan D. Hunter|Duncan Hunter]] (R-CA), ato billprioritize "[r]ecognizingaccepting therefugees persecutionsuch of religious and ethnic minorities, especiallyas Christians and [[Yezidis]] bywho theare Islamic"_targeted Statespecifically" of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known asby [[Daesh]], and calling for the immediate prioritization of accepting refugees from such communities."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/435|title=H.Res.435 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Recognizing the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, especially Christians and Yezidis, by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as Daesh, and calling for the immediate prioritization of accepting refugees from such communities.|last=Gabbard|first=Tulsi|date=2015-10-05|website=www.congress.gov|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref> Gabbard noted these]] "and other minority groups in the Middle East are being _targeted specifically because of their religious beliefs, and face forced conversions to Islam, mass abductions, sexual enslavements, and executions due to this ISIL-inflicted genocide."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2015/09/gabbard-wants-refuge-for-religious-minorities/|title=Gabbard: Help Victims of Genocide|last=Blair|first=Chad|date=2015-09-24|website=Honolulu Civil Beat|language=en|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref>
In November, 2015, after the ISIS terrorist attacks on Paris, Gabbard and 46 other Democrats voted with Congressional Republicans in favor of the [[American SAFE Act of 2015|American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act of 2015]] to require "supplemental certifications and background investigations on refugees from Syria and Iraq".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2015/roll643.xml|title=Final Vote Results for Roll Call 643, On passage of HR 4038, Final American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act|date=2015-11-19|website=clerk.house.gov|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4038|title=H.R.4038 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015|last=McCaul|first=Michael T.|date=2016-01-20|website=www.congress.gov|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/us/politics/house-refugees-syria-iraq.html|title=House Approves Tougher Refugee Screening, Defying Veto Threat|last1=Steinhauer|first1=Jennifer|date=2015-11-19|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-12-31|last2=Shear|first2=Michael D.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/444569822/|title=Mounting clues point to brothers, trip to Syria: Attackers were in contact with ISIS, officials say|last1=Yardley|first1=Jim|date=2019-11-16|access-date=2019-12-31|newspaper=Boston Globe|agency=New York Times|last2=Bennhold|first2=Katrin|language=en|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/08/europe/2015-paris-terror-attacks-fast-facts/index.html|title=2015 Paris Terror Attacks Fast Facts|date=2019-11-13|website=CNN|publisher=CNN Editorial Research|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref> President Obama said he would veto the bill: "We are not well served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/19/politics/house-democrats-refugee-hearings-obama/index.html|title=House passes bill that could limit Syrian refugees over Obama veto threat - CNNPolitics|first1=Deirdre|last1=Walsh|first2=Ted|last2=Barrett|website=CNN|date=19 November 2015|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref> Gabbard, in explaining her vote, said "voting for this bill was not a vote against refugees" but about "the long term viability and continuation of our country serving as a place of refuge for those who are truly in need of shelter." "It would be a double disaster if someone who came to America as a refugee ended up engaging in a terrorist act … [as] happened before in 2009, when two al-Qaeda terrorists came to the U.S. as refugees from Iraq and were actively supporting al-Qaeda from the U.S. while also plotting an attack on U.S. soil. Following their discovery and arrest, … the refugee program for Iraqis was completely shut down for six months."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rafu.com/2015/12/capac-members-split-on-syrian-refugee-bill/|title=CAPAC (Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus) Members Split on Syrian Refugee Bill|date=2015-12-04|website=rafu.com|publisher=Rafu Shimpo (Los Angeles Daily Japanese News)|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref>
Also in November, 2015, Gabbard called for a suspension of the [[Visa Waiver Program]] for European passport holders until the intelligence community catches up with the influx of Syrian refugees. In response to Wolf Blitzer noting others were concerned about the economic impact of suspending the program, Gabbard said: "You want to talk about the effect on the economy if these actions are not taken and an attack is allowed to occur here, even though we’ve identified this vulnerability?"<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/us/politics/tulsi-gabbard-rising-democratic-star-from-hawaii-makes-mark-on-party-by-defying-it.html|title=Tulsi Gabbard, Rising Democratic Star From Hawaii, Makes Mark on Party by Defying It|last=Huetteman|first=Emmarie|date=2015-11-28|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-12-31|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1511/16/sitroom.01.html|title=Situation Room|last=Blitzer|first=Wolf|date=November 16, 2015|website=transcripts.cnn.com|access-date=2019-02-19}}</ref>
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