U.S. Has "No Ability" to Screen Large Numbers of Syrian Refugees

Press Release

Congressman Patrick Meehan (R/PA-07) today expressed his concern over the Obama Administration's plans to relocate at least 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States over the next year. Meehan, a former Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, held a hearing on the potential exploitation of refugee resettlement programs by terrorist elements in 2011.

"Our nation has a long, proud history of accepting refugees facing danger and persecution," said Congressman Meehan. "But the horrifying attack in Paris showed the danger in allowing vast numbers of refugees across international borders without any vetting. ISIS has shown it is willing and able to utilize the flood of refugees as a cover for its operatives, and we have every reason to believe they'll continue to do it."

"The hearing I held in 2011, focused on refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan, demonstrated the difficulty of assuring that they pose no threat to Americans. It was difficult in assessing the risk even then, when we had a significant presence of U.S. troops on the ground, a cooperative Iraqi government and an extensive intelligence-gathering network. We have none of those working in our favor in Syria today."

"Up till now, the small number of Syrians allowed in the country has enabled us to take prudent measures to screen them. But the dramatic increase in refugee admissions the administration seeks will preclude that. We simply have no ability to vet vast numbers of refugees from Syria at this time."

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"The United States welcomes more refugees than any other country in the world and I think the U.S. Government policy of resettling refugees, especially those who risked their lives helping our soldiers and diplomats, is important," Meehan said at the time. "It is imperative that the interagency security screening process for all refugees be formidable and credible."

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