Feds to Bentley: Refugees go through intense screening

Federal officials Monday pushed back against the decisions by Gov. Robert Bentley and other governors to resist the settlement of Syrian refugees, stressing the numerous background checks in the refugee acceptance process.

In a letter dated Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson wrote to Bentley that refugees seeking admittance into the United States go through an extensive series of background and security checks and that they had “tremendous faith” in the system’s ability to track threats.

“A refugee applicant cannot be approved for travel and admission to the United States until all required security checks have been completed and cleared,” the letter said. “Bottom line – under the current system, if there is doubt about whether an applicant would pose a security risk, that individual will not be admitted to the United States as a refugee.”

Bentley’s office did not return a request for comment Monday.

Following the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead, Bentley announced he would oppose the settlement of Syrian refugees in the state. The governor last week ordered state agencies to use all “lawful means” to resist resettlement.

Refugee aid groups question both the legality and practicality of Bentley's stand. The impact of his order to state agencies is unknown. Only one Syrian refugee settled in Alabama between 2011 and 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee. No Syrian refugees have settled in Alabama since the current fiscal year began in October. The men involved in the Paris attacks were French or Belgian nationals; at least one held a Syrian passport, though its authenticity is uncertain.

Bentley cited the attacks for his stand, as well as comments made by FBI Director James Comey to Congress in October that gaps in available Syrian intelligence made it difficult to cross-check the status of every refugee.

“One mistake by the federal government in allowing a refugee with a terrorist connection (to enter the country) poses a major safety threat to our people,” the governor wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama last week. “Failure to change course exposes millions of Americans to the possibility of terrorist acts on American soil.”

In their letter, Kerry and Johnson stressed the work that goes into refugee assessment, a process that averages 18 to 24 months. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees first interviews prospective refugees to assess whether they meet U.S. resettlement requirements, such as being families, unaccompanied children or victims of torture. If the UN deems them a possible candidate, the UNHCR refers the individual to a resettlement organization that contracts with the U.S. State Department, to begin the data-gathering process.

The State Department checks the refugee's name against databases used for fighting terrorism, as well as law enforcement and intelligence databases. After screening, United States Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS), within the Department of Homeland Security, collects fingerprints and biometric information on the applicant, checking those against FBI databases.USCIS officers with special training -- including refugee law and background on the population from which the refugee comes -- then interview the refugee. A supervisor reviews decisions to accept or reject the applicant.

"Applicants are often placed on hold until supplemental information is obtained," the letter said.

Refugees go through further Homeland Security screening and background checks before traveling to the United States.

The Kerry/Johnson letter said "no one has the right to be resettled in the United States as a refugee."

"With every refugee application, the burden of proof is on the applicants -- the refugee must show that he or she qualifies for refugee status," the letter said. "The law requires the applicant to provide information that establishes their identity and allows us to assess whether they present a security risk to the country. If the expert screener fails to be satisfied on either score, the applicant will not be resettled in the United States."

More than 4 million people have fled Syria since the civil war broke out in that country in 2011. The United States has accepted fewer than 2,000 refugees. The Obama administration aims to accept 10,000 by the end of the fiscal year. The letter from Kerry and Johnson noted Canada plans to accept 25,000 refugees. French president Francois Hollande announced last week he would accept 30,000.

The length of the refugee acceptance process was also a major subject of a White House conference call Monday afternoon. Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on the call that Syrian males aged 16 to 50 go through an extra layer of checks known as a security advisory opinion.

Referring to Comey's comments, Myorkas suggested Comey referred to having different amounts of information on different nationalities, and said that the State Department of Homeland Security adds checks and upgrades information to address those situations.

"The refugee vetting process is an ongoing one," he said. "We take lessons learned and strengthen the program at every opportunity."

Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright -- who left Czechoslovakia with her family after the Communist Party took over the country in 1948 -- criticized recent congressional action to try to stop Syrian and Iraqi refugees from entering the country, saying it punished "an extremely vulnerable population of people who have been victimized bydictators and terrorists."

"Our enemies have a plan," she said on the call. "They want to divide the world between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between the defenders and attackers of Islam. By making Syrian refugees the enemy, we are playing into their hands."