House Homeland Security Committee: ISIS Explored Using Refugee Program to Enter US

McCaul did not let Obama’s optimism pass. McCaul also criticized the Obama Administration for not laying out new steps to fighting violent extremism during his address to the nation.

“Now we have direct evidence and intelligence that they not only tried to infiltrate Europe, which is easier to do, but to infiltrate it to get into the United States”. They are already here and will continue to arrive in increasing numbers unless we drastically slow down this process so they can be vetted to the best of our ability. Tashfeen Malik, the Muslim woman who took part in killing 14 people in San Bernardino, was vetted by the Department Of Homeland Security before she was granted her Visa to come to the United States.

“We’re quite interested in seeing a draft of the legislation and what the goal of this entire process will be – what anticipated outcomes will look like”, said one employee of a major public USA tech company who was not authorized to public comment on the matter. A statement from the classified document went further.

The legislation “would bring together the technology sector, privacy and civil liberties groups, academics, and the law enforcement community to find common ground”, Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said in a December 7 speech at National Defense University.

When asked Monday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said, “I’m not able to confirm that piece of information”. He added that the question did give him the opportunity to point out that refugees receive “the most intensive screening” of anyone seeking to enter the United States, and the United Nations screens them prior to the U.S.

President Obama has repeatedly pushed back against warnings that ISIS could attack the United States by sending over fighters as refugees.

“These include plans to murder tourists on Florida beaches, to set off pipe bombs on Capitol Hill, to detonate explosives at New York City landmarks, and to live-stream an attack at an American college campus”, McCaul said.

The Obama administration announced earlier this fall that it will allow 10,000 Syrian refugees into the country in 2016, and even more in 2017.

“The FBI is investigating almost 1,000 homegrown terror cases-most of which are ISIS-related-across all 50 states”, he said.

“The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us. Our success won’t depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values, or giving into fear”, he explained. “Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless, and by drawing upon every aspect of American power”.

McCaul lambasted some of his congressional colleagues for denying that the United States is under attack by terrorist forces.

“This is just the beginning”.

McCaul said his committee will introduce a new slate of bills in the coming weeks as it looks for solutions combat the growing threat of terror.