The plan by new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau foresees 25,000 Syrian refugees to arrive in Canada by the end of the month. US Senators worry that they cannot be thoroughly vetted and ask that since we share an over 5,000 mile border could the massive influx pose security threats for us?
The Committee will hold a hearing this morning at 10 a.m. (see here).
Here is the news at Channel News Asia:
WASHINGTON/OTTAWA: Canada is proceeding with plans to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees, but the country’s background-vetting programme is under scrutiny by a U.S. congressional panel, with a hearing set for Wednesday, amid lawmaker concerns about U.S. security.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee has questions about the Ottawa government’s intake of refugees by the end of February and the possibility that violent militants could mix in and cross the long, largely porous U.S.-Canada border.
At the public hearing, senators will question U.S. and Canadian experts and a U.S. Border Patrol officer on Canada’s “fast track” resettlement programme. Canada’s government turned down an invitation to send a spokesperson to the session.
“We have been in frequent touch with members of the U.S. administration who are satisfied with what we are doing … if the U.S. Senate wants to engage in these activities, that is their right, of course,” John McCallum, Canada’s immigration minister, told reporters on Tuesday.
Initial inquiries show Canada’s background checks on refugees are less rigorous than the 18- to 24-month vettings done by U.S. authorities before letting any Syrian refugee set foot on American soil, congressional aides said.
Canada’s new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already delayed his government’s program. It had targeted resettlement of the 25,000 by the end of 2015. Now the target is February.
By the way, Canada’s plan could affect states like Montana that share long borders with our neighbor to the north.
We have a huge archive on Canada, this is our 170th post on their problems with refugees. Click here. Be sure to note that Trudeau was at Davos recently with the other globalists.