Everyone is talking about it—the Obama Administration’s relaxation of security screening regulations originally put in place after 9/11. As we have reported, here***, the “refugee resettlement contractors” were lobbying hard for the rule change because they want to get thousands of Syrians admitted to the US this fiscal year partly because they are embarrassed that the US has not stepped-up to open our “welcoming” doors, and partly because they are paid by the head to bring ’em in.
Even the New York Times is talking about it (those bad ol’ Republican spoil-sports!):
Republican lawmakers are assailing new exemptions from antiterrorism laws the Obama administration issued this week for war zone refugees seeking to come to the United States, saying the rules are examples of unilateral action by President Obama that weaken immigration security.
The administration, under pressure to respond to the crisis of more than 2.3 million Syrians who have fled the civil war in their country, published two rules on Wednesday that will exempt refugees from provisions banning terrorists. The exemptions apply if the refugees provided only minor material support, such as meals or medical aid, to armed groups that have not been officially designated as terrorist organizations, or if they gave such support under pressure. [That old sandwich canard! Can you imagine a prospective refugee admitting that he/she gave a “sandwich to a rebel” at one time?—ed]
[…..]
“We are a nation of laws, and the executive branch should not be allowed to unilaterally suspend our immigration laws to provide benefits to those who have supported terrorists,” said John Cornyn of Texas, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration.
Administration officials and refugee advocates said the rules were a badly needed fix to sweeping antiterrorism laws passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
By the way, even the screening in place before last week didn’t keep those Iraqi refugee terrorists who went to Kentucky out of the US. Maybe the rules needed strengthening not weakening!
Then get this! The NYT says 3,000 are asylum seekers!
That means they have already entered the US illegally by coming across one of our borders or over-staying a visa! And, at minimum 70% could be fraudulent!
Officials said the exemptions, which would immediately affect some 3,000 asylum applicants, had been in the works for years.
***Check out the contractor Senate testimony—the Lutherans want 12,000 Syrians this year and the Catholics want 15,000 (no mention of favoring Christians!). It is always a shock to new readers when they learn that Lutherans and Catholics are resettling Muslims in their towns and cities.