Republicans criticize Obama's plan to admit 110,000 refugees

September 13, 2016
By Rebecca Savransky

Some Republicans have criticized President Obama's plans to admit 110,000 refugees to the United States over the next year.

That number is 10,000 more than the president's original goal, according to Politico.

A senior Obama administration official told Politico late Tuesday night the decision to admit 110,000 refugees "is consistent with our belief that all our countries should do more to help the world's most vulnerable people."

The administration said it would attempt to admit a "significantly higher" number of Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year, according to an 82-page report to Congress obtained by Politico.

“While the vast majority of Syrians would prefer to return home when the conflict ends, it is clear that some remain extremely vulnerable in their countries of asylum and would benefit from resettlement,” the report, prepared by the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services said.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) in a statement criticized the Obama administration for its decision.

“Despite opposition by the American people, a documented link between terrorism and individuals admitted to the United States as refugees, and over $19 trillion in debt, the Obama Administration has committed the United States to admitting 110,000 refugees during Fiscal Year 2017," Sessions said in a statement.

"The common sense concerns of the American people are simply ignored as the Administration expands its reckless and extreme policies."

Sessions, who has endorsed GOP nominee Donald Trump and his hardline position on Muslims in the U.S., said terrorists have infiltrated the refugee population successfully in the past.

He instead proposed what he thought would be a better solution.

"The simple fact is that it would be safer and more cost-effective to establish safe zones for refugees as close to their homes as possible—particularly for those from the Middle East," Sessions said.

"The American people do not support these radical plans, which amount to a complete betrayal from their leaders in Washington.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said the country needs to "remain compassionate toward refugees, but we also need to make sure that we use common sense."

"Unfortunately, President Obama unilaterally increases the number of refugees resettled in the United States each year," he said, according to Politico, "and gives little thought as to how it will impact local communities."

http://www.thehill.com/blogs/blog-br...10000-refugees

I saw a Muslim family last night, about half a mile from home. And they had a begging sign out. Sick. So we bring them here and they end up out on the street begging? Ridiculous. I can just see us ten years from now if this trend keeps up.

It's sheer insanity what Obama is doing. He's a Wacko Bird.

Obama administration demands 30 percent boost in refugees

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times 9/13/ 2016

President Obama wants the U.S. to take 30 percent more refugees next year, top administration officials told Congress on Tuesday, calling for Americans to do more on the world stage at a time when many voters are already balking at the current pace.

The announcement seems designed to boost Mr. Obama’s hand for next week, when he is scheduled to host a summit on the sideline of the U.N. General Assembly, pressing international leaders for action on a global refugee crisis.

At home, however, his refugee target is likely to renew controversy over the ability of the U.S. to absorb newcomers, particularly from countries where vetting is not easy and where terrorist networks have said they want to insert operatives into the refugee stream.

“The common-sense concerns of the American people are simply ignored as the administration expands its reckless and extreme policies,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on immigration.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry delivered the news to congressional leaders, along with Homeland Security and Health and Human Services officials — part of the official consultation process that must take place before the target can go into effect.

The administration’s target for fiscal year 2017 is 110,000 refugees, up from the 85,000 goal in 2016 and 70,000 in 2015. Just a few weeks ago, the State Department was hinting at a target of 100,000 refugees next year, and it’s not clear why the additional 10,000 were added.

So far, no target has been set for Syrians — the most controversial population of refugees — but the administration said it expects a significantly higher number next year. At the current pace, some 30,000 could be approved for resettlement over the next 12 months.

“The United States is deeply committed to assisting some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program,” the department said in a statement. “As the secretary has said, this is who we are; this is America at its best.”

Officials have been approving applications at an astonishing rate as the administration tries to meet this year’s goal, with just 17 days left in the fiscal year. More than 3,600 refugees were admitted in one three-day stretch last week, including 600 Syrians, bringing the total to more than 77,000 as of Tuesday.

Congo has also seen a massive uptick in refugees over the last month, while admissions from Iraq, Bhutan and Myanmar remain strong.

The administration said it’s interested in boosting the number of refugees from Central America, where violence and poverty have created a wave of migrant families and children fleeing the region and trying to sneak into the U.S.

Communities are grappling with the influx of refugees, and the cost of housing and educating them.

The House Judiciary Committee is pushing legislation that would give local officials a say in whether they can handle an influx.

“We must remain compassionate toward refugees, but we also need to make sure that we use common sense,” said committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Virginia Republican. “Unfortunately, President Obama unilaterally increases the number of refugees resettled in the United States each year and gives little thought as to how it will impact local communities.”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has made the pace of refugees a major campaign issue, and has vowed to halt admissions from countries that have a connection to terrorism.

By contrast, his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, has vowed for the U.S. to increase its resettlement efforts, saying last year that the country should have taken 65,000 Syrian refugees this year.

Polling suggests the public leans in favor of accepting refugees, though at levels far below what Mr. Obama is proposing. A Brookings Institution survey taken in May found that when asked an open-ended question about how many the U.S. should resettle in 2017, the median answer among Democrats was 15,000, and the median answer among Republicans was just 10,000.

Still, support for taking refugees, including Syrians, nears 60 percent — as long as there is good screening to weed out potential security risks.

That’s a problem, according to the government’s top security officials, who have said Syrian refugees pose a particular problem because the U.S. doesn’t have access to databases or on-the-ground information there.

Without access to those databases, screeners will struggle to verify the backstories of refugees, the security officials said.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that interviews refugees, insists its screeners are trained to ask probing questions and spot fraud, and have built up enough expertise in the country that they can detect bogus stories from applicants.

In the wake of terror attacks last year, the administration also began screening the social media accounts of some Syrian refugee applicants.

The administration’s announcement of more refugees comes on the same day that German authorities nabbed three Syrian refugees they said had ties to the Islamic State terrorist organization, also known by the acronym ISIS.

“ISIS will always exploit loopholes in our security, and the arrests in Germany remind us more than ever that partisanship cannot undermine our national security. This must stop,” said Sen. Mark Kirk, Illinois Republican.

An Iraqi-born refugee who entered the U.S. from Syria was indicted on terrorism-related charges earlier this year.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...refugees-2017/