House Republicans seek increased vetting of Syria refugees

During a 90-minute conference call with 34 governors on Novermber 17, top White House officials insisted that the US screening program for refugees was the most rigorous vetting for any category of traveler to the United States.

Dalrymple joined other governors Tuesday on a call with senior administration officials from the White House, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of State and the National Counterterrorism Center to express his concerns with the administration’s plan to resettle Syrian refugees.

Many states began to object to accepting Syrian refugees after it was revealed one Paris attacker had a Syrian passport, and the Paris prosecutors’ office said fingerprints from the attacker match those of someone who passed through Greece in October.

“The people who are vetting the refugees are doing their job and we should support them”, said Suzanne Akhras of the Syrian Community Network.

Obama’s comments during a meeting with Philippine President Benigno Aquino marked his harshest condemnation yet of Republicans’ response to the Paris attacks blamed on IS that killed 129 people last week. He added that the State Department prioritizes the most vulnerable groups of people and that half of all Syrian refugees are children. Cruz challenged President Barack Obama Wednesday to a debate on refugee policy after Obama suggested that an increased hard line on refugees by Republicans was “political posturing”.

“We will not have a religious test, only a security test”, Ryan said in a speech on the House floor. Likewise, USA adults are undecided on whether the US has done enough to protect against Paris-like terror attacks on USA soil. And he went after politicians who have questioned the administration’s earlier decision to accept 10,000 refugees from Syria.

Almost 50 Syrian refugees have settled in NY so far this year, according to a federal database.

Under Republican-backed legislation introduced in the House, no refugee from war-torn countries Iraq and Syria could enter the United States until top-level American officials assure Congress that they do not imperil national security.

Yang said it was this search for a better life that brought many of Central Wisconsin’s Hmong population from Laos as they escaped communist rule. The refugees “are required to apply for legal status within year” & are “free to move anywhere in the country”.