Most Americans want the U.S.to stop letting in Syrian refugees amid fears of terrorist infiltrations after the Paris attacks, siding with Republican presidential candidates, governors and lawmakers who want to freeze the Obama administration’s resettlement program.
Advertisement
The bill, called Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act, would require approval by the House and Senate before any refugees are admitted to the United States and permit Congress. It would also require the Administration, when considering the admission of refugees from Iraq and Syria, to prioritize the resettlement of oppressed religious minorities.
“A specific group of refugees is being treated differently due to their country of natural origin and faith”, he said.
President Barack Obama, who is traveling overseas, has not weighed in personally on the legislation moving through Congress. He has though repeatedly signaled that he plans to continue with his plan to admit as many as 10,000 more Syrian refugees. “If we can’t ask for assurances from the federal government that they’re going to follow proper procedures [it is] just absurd”.
As you might imagine, all of the vetting, from interviews to fingerprinting, takes a while. “We do the best we can with the information we have”, one USA official said. The administration says half of those who have been admitted are children and about a quarter of them are adults over 60. In fact, officials say, of the 2,200 Syrian refugees admitted since 2011, only 2 percent have been men of “combat age”.
The administration showed no sign of backing off its plans to bring an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees to the US and mounted a hasty defense of its vetting process, which Attorney General Loretta Lynch assured Congress is “robust”.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey has expressed deep concerns about the bill, two US officials told CNN.
Many GOP candidates, already skeptical if not hostile to welcoming refugees, came out even stronger in recent days.
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. A few lawmakers pointed to indications one of the Islamic State attackers carried a Syrian passport and may have arrived in France among waves of desperate refugees. While conservatives cite security concerns following the Paris attacks that may have involved Syrian refugees, others in the party fear the GOP’s position in Congress and state capitals across the country reeks of xenophobia.
Officials in at least 30 states have said they would resist any new refugee relocations until adequate safeguards are put in place to screen people for possible terrorist links. NPR’s Brian Naylor reports.
A central question that Republicans have raised is whether the USA has good enough intelligence and data from Syria to determine if a refugee might pose a threat. “At first, they were too scared of the press being too tough on them in the debates”. The process is directed by the Homeland Security Department and involves the State Department and US intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
He said he was in contact with Ryan and the White House on how to proceed.
This is not the same fear that people have with the United States’ southern border, where thousands of people are funneling in who don’t get properly vetted. On the other side, 45 percent of evangelicals call Islam an inherently peaceful religion with a few adherents who twist its teachings to justify violence. McConnell pointed to a case in his home state of Kentucky where two Iraqis who had been granted refugee status were arrested on federal terrorism charges.
“This bill will not allow any refugee in until we’re convinced that the vetting process or the background checks are done sufficiently to protect Americans”, Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Wednesday.
Obama reiterated his support for accepting Syrian refugees at a press conference Monday morning.
Advertisement
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan echoed the complaints of Martinez that the president mocked Republicans for what he said were legitimate questions.
