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Administration Announces Plan to Increase Refugee Admissions in FY 2017 by Nearly 30 Percent Despite Significant Security Risks

Plan is Reckless and Indefensible, Charges FAIR

Rather than heed the warnings of security experts and halt the admission of people whose identities and affiliations cannot be verified, the administration is rushing to get as many as they can into the country before leaving office.

—Dan Stein, President of FAIR

(September 13, 2016 - Washington, D.C.) - The Obama administration today announced plans to dramatically increase refugee admissions to 110,000 in the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. The FY 2017 refugee admissions figure represents a nearly 30 percent increase over the 85,000 admissions during the current fiscal year, and a 57 percent increase over the 70,000 admitted in FY 2015.

The sharp increase in refugee admissions will likely accommodate many Syrians (and people from other countries known to harbor terrorists), posing significant risks to national security. Top national security experts, including some who serve in the Obama administration, have publicly warned that effective screening of migrants from Syria is impossible. Further highlighting the danger, the administration’s announcement came on the same day that German officials revealed the arrest of three Syrian nationals in connection with last November’s terrorist attack in Paris.

“Today’s announcement is nothing short of reckless and indefensible,” charged Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). “ISIS has vowed to use the refugee process to infiltrate terrorists into Western nations, and has demonstrated the ability to provide them with the documentation they need to successfully obtain refugee status.”

“The results have been lethal, as terrorists posing as refugees have been involved in a series of deadly attacks in Europe. Rather than heed the warnings of security experts and halt the admission of people whose identities and affiliations cannot be verified, the administration is rushing to get as many as they can into the country before leaving office,” Stein continued.

FAIR is calling on Congress exercise its only option to prevent the administration from further endangering the security of the nation by cutting off funding for large-scale refugee resettlement. “Congress must include explicit language in FY 2017 Appropriations measures prohibiting the expenditure of funds on resettlement of additional Syrian refugees. If they do not act, Congress must share responsibility with the outgoing administration for the inevitable consequences of these dangerous policies.”

“The United States can and should uphold our obligations to assist with international efforts to protect refugees around the world. But, given the extreme dangers posed by resettlement of people from countries where sophisticated international terrorist organizations operate openly, we must dramatically curtail refugee admissions, not increase them,” concluded Stein.