Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren delivered a powerful speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, arguing that the U.S. now faces a moral choice: we must either accept Syrian refugees into the country or accept that we are turning our backs on human suffering.

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Warren spoke for 12 minutes about the importance of acting compassionately when it comes to U.S. policy on accepting refugees, many of whom are currently fleeing political and religious persecution in the Middle East and North Africa.

"These events test us," Warren said. "It is easy to proclaim that we are tough and brave and good-hearted when threats feel far away—but when those threats loom large and close by, our actions will strip away our tough talk and reveal who we really are."

Warren challenged lawmakers to consider the circumstances that Syrian refugees face and to understand that many of them live in fear of violent extremist groups such as the Islamic State.

"We face a choice," Warren continued. "A choice either to lead the world by example or to turn our backs to the threats and the suffering around us."

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In response to the attacks in Paris, conservative U.S. politicians—including Republican governors of 30 states—have voiced their opposition to accepting Syrian refugees, citing concerns about national security risks that they argue refugees pose to the country. Warren rejected that premise outright.

"Whether this ultimately proves to be true, there is no question that a screening system that can do no more than confirm after the fact that a terrorist entered Europe is obviously not a screening system that is working," she said.

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