Refugee screening process may be changed

Gov. Bobby Jindal and other governors said they continue to oppose resettling Syrian refugees in their states, despite repeated assurances from the Obama administration that the resettlement program can be trusted.

The letter, from the Workplace of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), told state resettlement officers in that they may not deny advantages & services to refugees based mostly on their country of origin or faith.

The refugee question has become an increasingly political one, with several 2016 candidates proposing barring refugees from the region in general, or potentially just the Muslims in particular. “Not one. We work with a lot of Syrians who are seeking asylum here in the United States”.

After the Paris attacks, ISIS announced their next target would be NY and Washington, even as it was earlier reported that some of the terrorists behind the Paris mayhem slipped into Europe amid refugees. Trying to use available programs to get people not only into the United States, but into western European countries as well. On Friday, hundreds rallied outside the Massachusetts State House, protesting Governor Charlie Baker’s statement that Massachusetts would not accept Syrian refugees.

Charitable groups are paid to house refugees and find them services, but after 90 days they can travel anywhere.

The terror attacks in Paris have prompted calls for Congress to toughen the security checks used to determine whether refugees or others with ties to war-torn Middle Eastern countries like Syria can enter the country.

A spokesman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which oversees refugee resettlement in the state, said the letter will not change the state’s position of blocking Syrian refugees.

“If the president does move forward on his plans to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees, he would be doing so without the American public’s support”, the survey reads.

In addition, the Republican bill would entirely shut down the refugee process by imposing unworkable certification requirements on the refugee vetting process.

That slow pace is due largely to the comprehensive screening process that is conducted in refugee camps in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and takes 18 to 24 months.

FBI Deputy Assistant Director Michael Steinbach adds that we have no “footprint on the ground” in Syria and therefore “databases won’t have the information we need”.

The lawsuit said 19 Syrians have been approved for refugee status by the federal government and they are expected to arrive in IN in the next few weeks.

“To close the door on resettling Syrian refugees would be nothing less than signing a death warrant for tens of thousands of families fleeing for their very lives”.

President Obama has threatened to veto the legislation.

Fact: Single men unattached to families comprise less than 2% of all Syrian refugee admissions to date.

These concerns among others compelled me to request that refugee resettlement agencies in Nebraska refrain from pursuing plans to resettle Syrian refugees in our state until these security concerns have been addressed.