http://thehill.com/policy/national-...ted-refugee-program-to-enter-us-chairman-says
ISIS has targeted refugee program to enter US, chairman says
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By Julian Hattem - 12/07/15 01:33 PM EST
Intelligence officials have determined that Islamic extremists have explored using the refugee program to enter the United States, the head of the House Homeland Security Committee said on Monday.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) declined to go into detail about the determination, which the Obama administration has not announced publicly.
Yet the disclosure could add ammunition to critics of the White House’s refugee plans who have warned that the program is vulnerable to infiltration by adherents of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“ISIS members in Syria have attempted to exploit it to get into the United States,” McCaul said during a speech at the National Defense University on Monday.
“The U.S. government has information to indicate that individuals tied to terrorist groups in Syria have already attempted to gain access to our country through the U. S. refugee program.”
McCaul would not say specifically who informed him and other lawmakers about the revelation, only describing the sources as “elements of the intelligence community.”
“That was very courageous for them to come forward with this, to tell me about this personally, given the political debate on the Hill,” he added, suggesting that the news did not come from intelligence leaders.
The briefing happened “earlier this week,” McCaul said.
President Obama has repeatedly attempted to push back against concerns about Syrian refugees, 10,000 of whom he wants to bring into the country over the next year.
Refugees undergo rigorous screenings that last for up to two years, the Obama administration has said, making them the most thoroughly vetted people coming into the country.
Still, Republicans and some Democrats have been wary of the president’s plans.
Last month, the House overwhelmingly voted to increase the scrutiny of those refugees, making it more difficult for refugees from Iraq and Syria to enter U.S. border.
The Syrian civil war has killed more than 200,000 people since it began in 2011, and forced more than 4 million refugees to flee the country.
ISIS has targeted refugee program to enter US, chairman says
Getty Images
By Julian Hattem - 12/07/15 01:33 PM EST
Intelligence officials have determined that Islamic extremists have explored using the refugee program to enter the United States, the head of the House Homeland Security Committee said on Monday.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) declined to go into detail about the determination, which the Obama administration has not announced publicly.
Yet the disclosure could add ammunition to critics of the White House’s refugee plans who have warned that the program is vulnerable to infiltration by adherents of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“ISIS members in Syria have attempted to exploit it to get into the United States,” McCaul said during a speech at the National Defense University on Monday.
“The U.S. government has information to indicate that individuals tied to terrorist groups in Syria have already attempted to gain access to our country through the U. S. refugee program.”
McCaul would not say specifically who informed him and other lawmakers about the revelation, only describing the sources as “elements of the intelligence community.”
“That was very courageous for them to come forward with this, to tell me about this personally, given the political debate on the Hill,” he added, suggesting that the news did not come from intelligence leaders.
The briefing happened “earlier this week,” McCaul said.
President Obama has repeatedly attempted to push back against concerns about Syrian refugees, 10,000 of whom he wants to bring into the country over the next year.
Refugees undergo rigorous screenings that last for up to two years, the Obama administration has said, making them the most thoroughly vetted people coming into the country.
Still, Republicans and some Democrats have been wary of the president’s plans.
Last month, the House overwhelmingly voted to increase the scrutiny of those refugees, making it more difficult for refugees from Iraq and Syria to enter U.S. border.
The Syrian civil war has killed more than 200,000 people since it began in 2011, and forced more than 4 million refugees to flee the country.
