White House pushes back on governors and U.S. House over Syrian refugees

The Obama administration reached out to local and regional news outlets Monday to push back against governors and the U.S. House for their efforts to block Syrian refugees from resettling in the United States.

In a conference call with reporters, the administration brought out Madeleine Albright, who served as U.N. ambassador and secretary of State under President Bill Clinton, as well as Alejandro Mayorkas, deputy secretary of Homeland Security, both of whom came to the United States as refugees.

“I can’t imagine fleeing from terrorism and violence, only to be told that I’m too much of a security threat to be admitted into the United States,” said Albright, whose family fled Czechoslovakia in 1948. “It’s just plain wrong and it sends the wrong message to the world.”

“The debate over refugees has been driven by fear, and our policies should never be based on the fear factor,” she said.

Albright did not compare her family’s situation with that of Syrian refugees. Her family was not a “hardship case,” she said, and they came to the U.S. on diplomatic passports. “But I do know what it’s like to have to leave your home and travel halfway around the world in hopes of finding refuge.”

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is among 31 governors nationwide who have taken actions to block the use of federal funds to help Syrian refugees resettle in their states.

Brownback and the other governors have expressed concern that would-be terrorists could enter the country that way. And they have questioned whether federal agencies can adequately screen applicants seeking refuge, especially given the political turmoil in Syria, which they say makes it difficult to access criminal and other databases in that country.

In addition, the U.S. House passed a bill last week that would require the FBI to certify that each refugee from Syria or Iraq has passed a security background check.

All four representatives from Kansas — Republicans Lynn Jenkins, Kevin Yoder, Mike Pompeo and Tim Huelskamp — voted in favor of the bill.

But DHS Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, whose family came to the U.S. from Cuba when he was a year old, said it is unlikely that would-be terrorists would try to use the refugee process to enter the United States because it’s a process that typically takes 18 to 24 months and involves an extensive screening process, both by the United Nations and multiple U.S. agencies.

“The refugees seeking admission to the United States undergo the most intense security vetting of any immigrants seeking admission to our nation,” he said.

Mayorkas said the process begins with screening by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, whose staff is specifically trained in the admissions rules and criteria of the United States. That office then prioritizes applicants seeking entry into the U.S., with top priority given to victims of torture, single females, and people with family ties in the U.S.

Those that are deemed preliminarily eligible for entry into the U.S. are then referred to the State Department, which contracts with resettlement support centers, including faith-based organizations, as well as the International Organization for Migration to conduct additional screening.

He said the State Department also conducts its own, independent security check, using its Consular Lookout and Support System database, commonly known as CLASS.

“This security check of the refugee’s name and any aliases searches the database for such things as criminal history, immigration history, terrorism-related concerns, and any prior visa application dispositions,” Mayorkas said.

“Significantly, for certain groups who are deemed to pose a heightened security concern, such as single males from Iraq or Syria between the ages of 16 and 50, the Department of State conducts another layer of security checks, known as a Security Advisory Opinion, or SAO,” he said.

“If, and only if, a refugee applicant passes the Department of State security checks, after having already been vetted by UN-HCR, then the refugee’s packet of information is prepared for review by the Department of Homeland Security,” he said.

Also taking part in the teleconference were Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Austin, Texas, Mayor Steve Adler, both of whom said they are welcoming Syrian and Iraq refugees into their cities.

The American Civil Liberties Union and some legal scholars have questioned whether Brownback and the other governors have the legal authority to block certain classes of refugees from entering their state. The ACLU of Kansas has said it believes Brownback’s action is unconstitutional because it denies federally funded benefits to one class of applicants based solely on the person’s national origin.

Brownback has defended his executive order, saying he is confident it is both legal and enforceable.

Neither the White House nor officials taking part in Monday’s news conference would comment on whether they think those actions are legal.