Prince Faisal bin Hussein told GOP North Carolina Congressman Mark Walker the Jordanian government could not vet Syrian refugees, The Washington Examiner reports.
Walker, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, was in Jordan at the time of the comment for a fact finding mission. The U.S. Department of State reportedly tried to tell Walker that the vetting process was thorough, just hours before Hussein told him, “we can’t vet these people.”
The United Nations High Committee on Refugees believes 655,000 Syrian refugees currently reside in Jordan, dispersed across multiple camps.
Hussein’s comments echo the security concerns expressed in the executive order by President Donald Trump Friday that indefinitely suspended the Syrian refugee program. The suspension came just days after news broke that the FBI is revetting Syrian refugees allowed into the U.S. that must be revetted.
The lapse in vetting reportedly stems from a 2015 glitch that prevented U.S. authorities from gleaning possible “derogatory” information about the refugees at the time. The glitch prevented relevant personnel from searching CIA databases, which included potentially compromising information on refugees. New investigations include several dozen Syrian refugees, and began before President Donald Trump took office.
Federal agents speaking to The Los Angeles Times elaborated that one of the admitted refugees may have been in contact with an Islamic State operative, and another failed a polygraph test.
Former President Barack Obama’s administration repeatedly emphasized the rigorous nature of the refugee vetting process. Former White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in August that the administration was able to increase Syrian refugees in 2015 “without cutting any corners when it comes to security.” Earnest continued, claiming that “significant screening was put in place to ensure that these individuals don’t pose an undue threat to our national security.”
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