Q&A: U.S. process of admitting Syrian refugees includes security vetting
The Paris attacks have reopened the controversy over U.S. plans to accept refugees from Syria. Here are some answers about the program, provided by the State Department and refugee agencies.
Question: Does the U.S. have a special program to admit Syrians?
Answer: Under pressure from the European and Middle Eastern nations bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis, the Obama administration has pledged to admit at least 10,000 Syrians in the fiscal year that began in October. These are not new cases – they'll come from 18,000 cases already referred by the United Nations and that are at varying stages of the screening process, officials say. Since June 2014, the U.N. has referred some 500 to 1,000 Syrians for resettlement in the United States each month, with a focus on the most vulnerable, such as female-headed households and victims of torture.
Referrals don’t always translate into resettlement – many cases hit long delays during extensive security checks. The average processing time for a resettlement case is 18 to 24 months, according to the State Department. Given that just 187 refugees were admitted in October, the first month of the new fiscal year, advocates say the administration must really pick up the pace if the goal of 10,000 is to be realized.
As of September, fewer than 2,000 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since 2012.
Q: What kind of screening do refugees undergo before entering the United States?
A: The State Department says Syrian refugees are subjected to the most intensive screening of any group, given the murkiness of the civil war they’re fleeing. Unlike in Iraq, where U.S. officials had access to the former government’s files and their own intelligence records, such background materials are much scarcer for Syria. Most details about the Syrian screening process are classified.
In general, cases begin with a referral from the U.N. office in the country where the applicant is living, primarily neighboring countries such as Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. Support workers then collect biographic and other information from applicants to present to officers from the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services division, who determine whether the cases meet the criteria for refugee status based on five protected grounds: race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.
Once cases meet the criteria, the next step is an extensive, multiagency security screening that involves the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and other agencies.
Refugees also must undergo a health screening for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis – the TB test alone can be a two-month process. And finally, there is mandatory cultural orientation, typically a three-day course about how to adapt to life in the United States.
Q: Is religion part of the screening test?
A: Religious persecution can be a reason to grant asylum, but a refugee’s religion is not a reason to deny asylum. Vulnerability is the top factor for approval in a resettlement case. As one official put it: “We don’t look at what god they worship, what church they go to.”
The official said he couldn’t think of any U.S. precedent for the kind of no-Muslims admissions policy some Republican politicians have floated as a way to prevent extremist infiltration of the refugee program.
Q: How is it determined where refugees are resettled in the United States? Where do most end up?
A: Refugees are resettled in about 180 communities nationwide, including Atlanta, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, Chicago and Boston. Larger cities such as New York and Washington are considered too expensive and are generally excluded as resettlement destinations.
Officials say they also rely on medium-size cities such as Boise, Idaho; Nashville, Tenn.; Tucson, Ariz,; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Erie, Pa.
Representatives from the nine resettlement agencies that work on the U.S. government program meet weekly to make placement decisions based on whether a refugee already has family in a certain area, has special medical needs such as cancer treatment, and a host of other factors.
The International Organization for Migration arranges travel to the United States for approved refugees. The U.S. government foots the bill up front, but refugees sign a promissory note agreeing to repay the loan for their travel costs.
MOMENTUM BUILDS AMONG STATES TO REJECT SYRIAN REFUGEES AFTER PARIS ATTACKS
A drumbeat of opposition against allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S. intensified Monday when at least 23 governors, citing security concerns, said they will refuse to accept Syrian refugees into their states following the Paris attacks, even as President Barack Obama said such actions “would be a betrayal of our values.”
In addition to the governors, mostly Republican, GOP members of Congress – including the chairmen of the Senate Armed Services, Senate Intelligence and House Homeland Security committees – have called for a halt to admitting Syrian refugees to the U.S.
A House Judiciary subcommittee hearing is set for Thursday, though immigration experts say under the Refugee Act of 1980 governors cannot legally block refugees from settling in their communities.
By Monday afternoon, the states refusing Syrian refugees were: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. Kentucky’s Republican governor-elect, who takes office next month, also refused. Governors cited security concerns, noting that at least one of the Paris attackers had posed as a Syrian refugee.
Los Angeles Times
HOW THE STATES ARE AFFECTED BY REFUGEES
Here’s a look at where some state governors stand, and the number (in parentheses) of Syrian refugees who have arrived in each state since Jan. 1, according to the U.S. State Department’s Refugee Processing Center:
ALABAMA (0)
▪ Republican Gov. Robert Bentley announced Sunday that he would refuse Syrian refugees relocating to the state, saying: “I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm’s way.” Bentley’s news release said the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency was diligently working with federal officials to monitor any possible threats. There has been no credible intelligence of terror threats in Alabama so far, according to the governor’s office.
ALASKA (0)
▪ The oil-dependent state is grappling with an estimated budget deficit of $3.5 billion amid low oil prices, and Gov. Bill Walker, a Republican turned independent, “has been focused on solving the state’s fiscal challenges,” spokeswoman Katie Marquette said by email Monday. She said Walker has not given any consideration to trying to stop Syrian refugees from settling in the state.
ARIZONA (153)
▪ Gov. Doug Ducey is calling for an immediate halt to the placement of any new refugees from the Middle East. And Ducey made it clear that the state is within its legal rights to do so, saying that he is invoking the state’s right under federal law to immediately consult with U.S. officials on any new refugee placements. He also wants Congress to change the law to give states more oversight over refugee placement. Ducey says national leaders must react to protect its citizens.
ARKANSAS (0)
▪ Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he opposes Syrian refugees being relocated to Arkansas. Hutchinson, a former undersecretary of the federal Department of Homeland Security, said he doesn’t believe the United States should be a permanent place of relocation for the refugees and that he thinks Europe, Asia or Africa are logically the best places for resettlement or temporary asylum.
CALIFORNIA (218)
▪ Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown says he'll work closely with President Barack Obama to ensure any Syrian refugees coming to California are “fully vetted in a sophisticated and utterly reliable way.” He says the state can help uphold America’s traditional role as a place of asylum while also protecting Californians.
COLORADO (5)
▪ Colorado’s governor isn’t ruling out Syrian refugees in the wake of terror attacks in Paris. But Gov. John Hickenlooper said Monday the federal government needs to make sure the verification process for refugees is “as stringent as possible.” Colorado has received no Syrian refugees, according to state officials.
CONNECTICUT (42)
▪ Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says Connecticut will continue to accept refugees from Syria. The Democrat told NBC Connecticut on Monday the state is committed to accepting the refugees and believes background checks could easily be performed and his spokesman, Devon Puglia, said the administration is continuing to work with federal officials and await guidance as “they develop procedures following the tragedy in Paris.”
DELAWARE (0)
▪ Democratic Gov. Jack Markell is standing by his support for President Obama’s decision to provide asylum for Syrian refugees in the United States, despite Republican calls not to accept refugees in Delaware. The head of the Delaware Republican Party, along with state Sen. Colin Bonini, a GOP candidate for governor, urged Markell on Monday not to accept Syrian refugees in the wake of the attacks in Paris. Markell responded that former Republican President Ronald Reagan was committed to welcoming those seeking safety from fear and persecution.
FLORIDA (104)
▪ Gov. Rick Scott is calling on Congress to block attempts by the Obama administration to relocate 425 Syrian refugees to Florida. The Republican governor on Monday wrote a letter to congressional leaders that asked them to take “immediate and aggressive action” to prevent the relocation of Syrian refugees without an “extensive evaluation” of the risk the refugees may pose to national security.
GEORGIA (57)
▪ Gov. Nathan Deal says the state will not accept Syrian refugees. Deal, a Republican, says he issued an executive order on Monday directing state officials to prevent resettlement of Syrian refugees in Georgia. He also asked the Obama administration to work with Georgia officials to confirm the backgrounds of 59 Syrian refugees already resettled in Georgia.
HAWAII (0)
▪ Gov. David Ige says Hawaii would welcome refugees from Syria with aloha. Ige says safety is his first priority, but that the U.S. accepts refugees only after conducting the highest level of screening and security checks.
IDAHO (27)
▪ Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has joined a growing number of Republican governors calling for the immediate halt of resettling new refugees until vetting rules can be reviewed and state concerns about the program can be addressed. The U.S. State Department says 36 Syrian refugees have arrived in Idaho since 2011 when the Syrian civil war began.
ILLINOIS (131)
▪ Gov. Bruce Rauner joined the growing list of Republican governors who announced they want to prevent Syrian refugees from relocating in their states. In a statement issued Monday, Rauner said the state will “temporarily suspend accepting new Syrian refugees and consider all of our legal options pending a full review of the process by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” State officials say 169 Syrian refugees have settled in Illinois since 2010.
INDIANA (18)
▪ Republican Gov. Mike Pence announced Monday that he was ordering state agencies to suspend the relocation of any more Syrian refugees to the state until he received assurances from the federal government that proper security measures had been taken.
IOWA (0)
▪ Saying he wants to protect residents of his state in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris, Gov. Terry Branstad acknowledged that governors might not be have the legal authority to prevent the Syrian refugees from relocating to their states because “this is a federal program.” Still, the Republican says he wants more information from the federal government about where people are being placed and the vetting process.
KANSAS (8)
▪ Republican Gov. Sam Brownback issued an executive order Monday directing that no state agency, or organization receiving grant money from the state, shall participate or assist in the relocation of Syrian refugee
KENTUCKY (99)
▪ Kentucky’s incoming Republican governor has joined governors of several states in opposing the resettlement of Syrian refugees. Republican Gov.-elect Matt Bevin’s stance is at odds with Kentucky’s current governor. Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear says Kentucky should do “the Christian thing” and welcome all refugees who have passed extensive background checks. Kentucky started settling Syrian refugees in 2014, when 63 people arrived from the war-torn country. So far this year, another 26 have settled in Kentucky. About half the 89 total have been children.
LOUISIANA (14)
▪ Gov. Bobby Jindal – a GOP presidential contender – said he wants more information from the White House “in hopes that the night of horror in Paris is not duplicated here.” Jindal sent a letter to the White House on Saturday, demanding to know how many Syrian refugees have been resettled in his state. He also wants to know the extent of background screening before Syrians entered the U.S. United States as well as what monitoring would be done once the refugees make it to Louisiana.
MAINE (0)
▪ Gov. Paul LePage says it is “irresponsible” to allow Syrian refugees into the country in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris. The Republican governor, who said he does “not know for certain” if Maine has any Syrian refugees right now, plans to point out in a radio address on Monday that one of his first actions as governor was to prevent Maine from serving as a “sanctuary state” for people living in the country without legal permission.
MARYLAND (31)
▪ Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says the state will “make a very reasoned and careful decision” about how it will proceed in policy regarding potential Syrian refugees. The Republican governor said Monday the issue is one that “we'll be looking at very closely.”
MASSACHUSETTS (62)
▪ Gov. Charlie Baker says he’s opposed to allowing more Syrian refugees into Massachusetts in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris and that he wants to know much more about the federal government’s vetting process before allowing them into the state. Democratic Boston Mayor also says he wants to know about how the federal government screens refugees.
MICHIGAN (195)
▪ Gov. Rick Snyder had bucked many fellow Republican leaders by welcoming refugees to Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population. But he said Sunday that the state is postponing efforts to accept refugees until federal officials fully review security procedures and clearances. Snyder said that while he is proud of the state’s history of immigration, its “first priority is protecting the safety of our residents.”
MINNESOTA (7)
▪ Gov. Mark Dayton isn’t objecting to the possible placement of Syrian refugees in his state as long as they undergo rigorous screening first. The Democrat released a statement Monday saying he’s been assured by the White House that any refugees from Syria would be “subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States.” A U.S. State Department website shows seven Syrian refugees have settled in Minnesota since the start of 2011.
MISSISSIPPI (0)
▪ Gov. Phil Bryant said Monday that he’s trying to find out if there are any plans by the federal government to relocate any Syrian refugees in the state and if there are the Republican said he will “do everything humanly possible” to stop it.
MISSOURI (29)
▪ Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon says it’s up to the federal government to screen refugees and is calling for safeguards following deadly terror attacks in Paris. But in a statement Monday, Nixon didn’t say he’d block Syrian refugees from settling in Missouri. Three Republican candidates for governor want Nixon to do so, citing safety concerns.
MONTANA (0)
▪ Gov. Steve Bullock said Monday the state “will not allow any terrorist organization to intimidate us into abandoning our values.” State officials are reviewing the existing protocols for considering refugee settlement requests and if there are any safety concerns, the refugees will be denied, he said.
NEBRASKA (0)
▪ Gov. Pete Ricketts says he does not want Syrian refugees resettling in Nebraska until the federal government conducts a full review of its screening procedures to ensure public safety. The Republican sent a letter Monday to refugee resettlement agencies in the state, urging them not to pursue resettlement of the refugees in light of the terrorist attacks in Paris.
NEVADA (8)
▪ Gov. Brian Sandoval says he wants the White House to review the process of refugee resettlement in light of the attacks. The Republican didn’t go as far as other governors, who threatened to halt efforts to allow Syrian refugees into their states.
NEW HAMPSHIRE (3)
▪ New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan says the United States should halt the acceptance of Syrian refugees until intelligence and defense officials can assure a strong process for vetting refugees. Hassan also says more facts are needed on how the attackers got into Paris before the United States takes more Syrian refugees.
NEW JERSEY (75)
▪ Gov. Chris Christie says he’s opposed to any Syrian refugees entering the country – even infant orphans. Christie’s comments came during conservative host Hugh Hewitt’s radio show. They were a complete reversal from September, when the Republican presidential contender said U.S. should “play their role” in taking in refugees without committing to a specific number after a photograph of a dead migrant child humanized the migrant influx.
NEW MEXICO (0)
▪ Gov. Susana Martinez says she’s opposed to the Obama administration’s plan to accept any more Syrian refugees until there’s a clear plan in place to properly vet and place them. Martinez, the nation’s only Latina governor and a leader within the Republican Governors Association, says the top priority should be safety.
NEW YORK (48)
▪ Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn’t commenting on a request from a New York congressman and a state assemblyman that he prevent Syrian refugees from being placed in the state. U.S. Rep. Chris Collins and Assemblyman Christopher Friend, both Republicans, cited the threat of terrorism in calling on Cuomo to reject additional refugees. A spokesman for Cuomo, a Democrat, declined to comment.
NORTH CAROLINA (23)
▪ Gov. Pat McCrory is asking the Obama administration to cease sending refugees from Syria to North Carolina until the state is satisfied with the effectiveness of federal background and security checks.
NORTH DAKOTA (0)
▪ The office of Gov. Jack Dalrymple says North Dakota has not received any Syrian refugees and doesn’t expect any will be sent to the state.
OHIO (78)
▪ Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate, doesn’t want Ohio or the United States to accept more Syrian refugees. Spokesman Jim Lynch says the Republican presidential candidate is writing to ask President Barack Obama to stop resettling Syrian refugees in Ohio because safety and security issues can’t adequately be addressed. Kasich also is reviewing steps Ohio might take to stop resettlement.
OKLAHOMA (3)
▪ Republican Gov. Gov. Mary Fallin is urging President Barack Obama to suspend accepting any Syrian refugees to the U.S. Fallin said Monday the Obama administration needs to assure the public that it is conducting rigorous background checks on any Syrian refugees coming into the U.S.
PENNSYLVANIA (119)
▪ Gov. Tom Wolf said his administration will keep working with the federal government to properly screen and resettle Syrian refugees in the state. The Democrat said Monday that the federal government thinks it can handle an additional 10,000 refugees that the White House said in September that it would accept from Syria.
RHODE ISLAND (0)
▪ Gov. Gina Raimondo said in September she’s willing to help if the federal government asks Rhode Island to host Syrian refugees. Raimondo’s spokeswoman says the governor would coordinate closely with the White House and law enforcement if the state receives a request now.
SOUTH CAROLINA (0)
▪ Gov. Nikki Haley says she supports allowing persecuted immigrants to come to South Carolina – as long as they’re not from Syria. Republicans in the state Legislature called on Haley to oppose all international refugees. But the Republican governor said as long as nothing changes in who is being resettled in the state, neither will her stance.
TENNESSEE (30)
▪ Gov. Bill Haslam says he is asking the federal government to suspend placement of Syrian refugees in Tennessee. In a statement released to media on Monday, Haslam acknowledges that the federal government has the authority to place refugees but states “they have said in the past they would be open to cooperating with receiving states.”
TEXAS (194)
▪ Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday ordered Texas’ refugee resettlement program not to accept any more Syrians in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks. In a letter to Obama, the Republican also urged scrapping federal plans to accept more Syrian refugees into the country as a whole. He said the federal government can’t perform “proper security checks” on Syrians. Texas officials estimate about 200 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Texas last fiscal year.
UTAH (7)
▪ Gov. Gary Herbert is ordering a review of security checks for refugees coming to Utah on the heels of the last week’s attacks in Paris, but he stopped short of threatening to stop accepting Syrian refugees. Herbert said he wants to help those fleeing violence but that public safety is the top priority.
VERMONT (0)
▪ Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says his colleagues across the nation who say they won’t allow Syrian refugees into their states are “stomping on the qualities that make America great.” Shumlin says there is an extensive screening process in place for refugees. Since 1989 about 7,000 refugees have been resettled in Vermont and while none of them are from Syria, there are plans to settle a small number in the state during the current fiscal year.
VIRGINIA (13)
▪ A spokesman for Virginia’s governor says his public safety team is communicating with federal authorities about refugee resettlements, including those involving Syrians. Brian Coy issued the statement Monday on behalf of Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The statement says every refugee settled in the U.S. undergoes intensive security screening.
WASHINGTON (22)
▪ Gov. Jay Inslee says Washington state will welcome Syrian refugees. In a statement Monday, Inslee also criticized other governors who have threatened to stop accepting refugees.
WEST VIRGINIA (0)
▪ Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s office says he does not anticipate a federal request for placement of refugees in West Virginia. In a statement, Tomblin’s office says the governor has not been contacted by the federal government regarding large-scale placements of Syrian refugees, and that any smaller placements likely would take more than a year. The statement says the state would ensure “that proper security screening was conducted by federal and state officials.”
WISCONSIN (1)
▪ Gov. Scott Walker said Monday that Wisconsin won’t accept any new Syrian refugees because doing so poses a security threat. Only two Syrian refugees have resettled in Wisconsin since the start of the Syrian civil war in March 2011, according to the U.S. State Department.
Associated Press
This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 8:41 PM with the headline "Q&A: U.S. process of admitting Syrian refugees includes security vetting."