Obama hits out at U.S. refugee ‘hysteria’

Danielle Drake with Us Together says refugees trying to resettle in the U.S. must pass a 13-step process including a State Department background check and an in-person interview with the Department of Homeland Security.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees first screens applicants to determine if they are eligible and whether to send them to one of 28 countries, including the United States.

President Obama said Tuesday the outcry against his plan to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees into the United States “needs to stop”.

Only three Syrian refugees have relocated to Wisconsin since 2013.

That being said, qualifying for refugee status in the U.S.is no easy task.

The governors, mostly Republican, have pressed for bans in their states since it emerged one of the Paris attackers may have entered Europe with migrants.

“Apparently they’re scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America”, Obama said.

Refugees from the four-year-old civil war in Syria who are seeking US entry already undergo a rigorous screening process that can take between 18 and 24 months, involving multiple USA security agencies.

Jen Psaki, director of communications at the White House, tweeted: “2,174 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the USA after a vigorous vetting process”.

“The state simply can not block off its borders to individuals of any nationality or anybody at all in the USA, particularly someone with refugee status granted by the federal government”, said Denise Gilman.

Once approved, refugees are usually placed in American communities based on where they have a family or community connection and where they’re likely to find work. Experts say USA intelligence in Syria isn’t very good, because the US lacks much of a presence on the ground.

MADISON, WI– The question over Syrian refugees leads to Governor Walker to ask the president to keep them out of the state.

In Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have urged at least a temporary halt in the resettlement of Syrians.

On Tuesday Abbott also appointed Cecile Young – the health commision’s chief of staff – as the new state Refugee Coordinator.

“Until we are fully assured of a robust vetting system, we should put a moratorium on Syrian refuges coming into the country”, said Sen.