White House responds to Branstad's concerns on Syrian refugees

The White House on Saturday defended how the United States accepts Syrian refugees, telling Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad the security process is "extraordinarily thorough and comprehensive."

In the five-page letter, obtained by The Des Moines Register, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John Kerry outlined a series of "rigorous" steps the administration takes to approve refugees before they are allowed into the United States.

"It is the most robust screening process for any category of individuals seeking admission into the United States," the two Cabinet members said in the letter dated Nov. 20. "The process is multi-layered and intensive, involving multiple law enforcement, national security, and intelligence agencies across the the federal government."

Johnson and Kerry said the administration has taken "additional precautions" with regard to Syrian refugees and are "continually" evaluating whether more are necessary.

Other governors who have expressed concern over the United States allowing Syrian refugees also received the letter. Branstad and more than two dozen other governors have urged President Barack Obama to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States. Earlier this week, Branstad ordered all agencies in Iowa to stop work on Syrian refugee resettlements.

“We have welcomed refugees from around the world into Iowa," Branstad said in a statement Monday. "We must continue to have compassion for others, but we must also maintain the safety of Iowans and the security of our state. Until a thorough and thoughtful review is conducted by the intelligence community and the safety of Iowans can be assured, the federal government should not resettle any Syrian refugees in Iowa.”

In the letter, the White House underscored its commitment to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees, the overwhelming number being families, victims of torture and children.

To support their position, Johnson and Kerry outlined the detailed process used for vetting refugees, including interviews by a United Nations agency, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security. The secretaries said officers with Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, which is responsible for conducting refugee status interviews, are given five weeks of specialized training.

And the U.S. Customs and Border Protection receives a manifest of all refugees who are approved to go to the United States eight days before their scheduled travel, while the State Department and Department of Health and Human Services work together to help resettle, transport and provide the necessary assistance to aid self-sufficiency and make the refugee a contributing member of the community.

“We have tremendous faith in this system’s ability to detect, investigate and disrupt terrorist plotting in this country, as it has done repeatedly,” the letter says. "With these measures in place, we believe that we are able to protect … the American people."