Both Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio have called for the US to accept more Syrian refugees, as long as they are properly "vetted", of course. But what does it mean to "vet" a refugee?
Normally, if someone wants to come into the United States, say, from France or Germany, our government can check with the French or German government to see if this person has a criminal record, or even is who he says he is.
But when it comes to refugees from Syria, what is called "vetting" relies mostly on one source of information: the refugee.
“The UNHCR referral is a crucial first step to gaining admittance to the U.S., but the candidate must then pass “the highest level of security checks conducted on any category of traveler to the United States,” a State Department official said.”
The highest level of checks! And then only after the United Nations has assured us that each refugee is okay! Very reassuring!
“The State Department will first collect biographical information about the candidate and determine whether they qualify for refugee status.”
Since there is no government to consult (unless the State Department wants to check with ISIS or Hizb’allah), there is only one source of information: the refugee. As long as the refugees don’t lie, I expect this system will catch all would-be terrorists.
“The case is then passed to the Department of Homeland Security, which will send a representative to conduct an in-person interview to further screen the applicant for security concerns and to determine whether the applicant is otherwise admissible, a State Department official said.”
You see? A terrorist would have to lie to not one but two branches of government to get into the country. So we’re perfectly safe.
And that’s the complete process. That’s all the vetting. As long as the terrorist isn’t an awful liar, anyone can get in.
I want a president who is going to look out for the security of the United States first. That means Donald Trump, Ben Carson, or Ted Cruz. All have said that they would not take in more Muslim refugees. Jeb and Marco either don’t know what they’re talking about, or they are being purposely disingenuous because they don’t care if we are “love-bombed” by Middle Easterners.
