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| U.S. Lacks Intel to Vet Syrian Refugees |
| 2015-02-14 |
| [AnNahar] U.S. authorities are facing a difficult task screening Syrian refugees for potential Michael Steinbach, assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said the U.S. government had data and intelligence to draw on when it performed background checks on refugees from Iraq in recent years but in the case of Syria, there was "a lack of information." "The difference is, in "You are talking about a country that is a failed state, that does not have any infrastructure so to speak, " he said. Washington has decided to let in more Syrians displaced by the civil war and announced plans in December to review about 9,000 refugee cases referred by the U.N. refugee agency. U.S. officials told AFP on Wednesday that nearly 11,000 cases referred by the UNHCR will be examined. Since the conflict erupted in 2011, the United States has admitted 512 Syrians into the country, according to the State Department. Lawmakers at the hearing voiced dismay at the possibility that some of the male refugees heading to America could be potential jihadists. The U.S. was already working to stop imported muscle from returning to America and admitting large numbers of refugees "would be a federally sanctioned welcome party, if you will, to potential faceless myrmidons in the United States," said Michael McCaul, Republican chairman of the committee. Such a move would be a "huge mistake," he said. The head of the National Counter-terrorism Center, Nicholas Rasmussen, told politicians there would be a thorough screening effort. He said "what we want to be able to do is apply the full weight of U.S. intelligence community holdings to the vetting and screening process so that we can unearth any information that we may have in our holdings that gives us concern about particular individuals." Syrian refugees are now the largest group under the U.N. refugee agency's mandate, with more than three million forced to flee the conflict. The UNHCR has warned the number could rise to 4.27 million by next December. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #2 If we're not going to vet immigrants, maybe we should provide temporary living space as in New South Wales circa 1788 (Wayne County MI with really-really good enclosure systems?) . We could then look in on them in 100 years or so to see how things and their society and "politi-religion" are doing before releasing them to the general population. |
| Posted by: Hupineger Glomomp15043 2015-02-14 14:52 |
| #1 The main question is why we need to bring any of them here. Why not send them where they're supposed to go. Europe. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2015-02-14 09:22 |