WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee members are pressing for information about a possible interview surge of thousands of Syrian refugees in an attempt by the Obama administration to expedite their entry into the United States.
The letter was led by Chairman Chuck Grassley and signed by committee members Orrin Hatch, David Vitter, Thom Tillis, Jeff Sessions, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz and David Perdue.
“We continue to be troubled by the Administration’s plans to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees, especially in light of the shortcomings in the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to adequately screen and vet such refugees, as has been discussed in hearing after hearing in both the House and the Senate over the past few months. The Administration’s refusal to suspend or even slow the pace of such refugee processing is particularly disturbing when reports abound of ISIS terrorists intentionally inserting themselves into the Syrian refugee stream,” the senators wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John Kerry.
According to recent comments from the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, as well as the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, terrorists continue to use refugee channels to enter the European Union and other nations.
Legislation to increase background checks on certain refugees and require intelligence officials to concur with improved vetting was filibustered by Democrats.
