Transcripts For CSPAN Terrorist--Refugee Programs 20130106 :

The president s council has brought a list of 15 names of people, and they want a full investigation. That is a very unpleasant thing. It was shortly after the Farewell Speech i cannot remember what exactly he said, but he said, we forgot one thing. We forgot the resignation letter. He said, you do not get it. You need to read it. I thought the best way was not for me as a historian it was for the players, keep People Living from that era to tell the story themselves. I thought the best way to do this was to start a video Oral History Program that involved nixon players but also players in the watergate drama, on the left and right, have them tell the story, and use portions of that story in the museum to let visitors understand the complexity of this problem. The former head of the nixon president ial museum he details the librarys oral history project. Tonight at 8 00 on cspan. Student cam the entries with your message to the president are now due. Get them to cspan by friday, january 18 perchance at the grand prize of 5,000. For more details, go to studentcam. Org. A hearing looking into the abuse of Refugee Programs by terrorists. Hosted by a House Homeland Security subcommittee and chaired by representative patrick meehan, this is just under an hour and a half. Tthe committee on Homeland Security and subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence will come to order. The subcommitttee is meeting today to hear testimony regarding the exploitation of refugee prgrams by terrorists. I would like to welcome everyone to todays hearing. I look forward to hearing from todays witnesses from the department of Homeland Security and the state department. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank them for taking the time to be here with us today. You are all dedicated Public Servants and we thank you for the hard work you do on a day today basis. I know you have provided extensive briefings to my staff over the last year on this issue and i greatly appreciate your assistance on this important issue. From 2004 to 2007, the insurgency in iraq produced substantial civilian displacement and emigration from the country. In response to the growing humanitarian crisis, Congress Passed legislation, which gave iraqis who helped the u. S. Government or military the opportunity to receive special Refugee Status and resettlement in the United States. While the motivation behind creating these special immigrant categories were well intentioned, the fact remains that in may 2011, two iraqi nationals who were given Refugee Status and resettled in the u. S. Were arrested and accused by the fbi of plotting to send weapons and money to al qaeda in iraq. One of the men arrested had openly discussed his Prior Experience as an insurgent in iraq and the ied attacks he participated against u. S. Troops. The fingerprints of the other iraqi refugee charged were traced by the fbi to a component of an unexploded ied that was recovered by u. S. Forces in northern iraq. In the wake of these arrests, dhs secretary Janet Napolitano and others have publicly acknowledged that Security Checks have been expanded to the more than 58,000 iraqi refugees who had already been settled in the United States. According to press reports this past february, intelligence indicates that the threat posed by refugees with ties to al qaeda is much broader than was previously believed. Fbi director Robert Mueller stated last year during congressional testimony before the House Intelligence Committee that he continues to be concerned with individuals who may have been resettled here in the United States that have some association with al qaeda in iraq. There are also reports that that immigration authorities have given the fbi roughly 300 names of iraqi refugees for further investigation. With the recent movement of aqi fighters into syria and reports just yesterday of chemical weapons being moved, i am increasingly worried that terrorists may try to exploit various Refugee Resettlement programs via turkey, jordan or other countries where many refugees have fled to escape the bloodshed. It is imperative that the interagency security screening process for refugees be formidable and credible. The purpose of this hearing is to identify any remaining gaps in the security screening process that need to be remedied, and to ensure dhs and the state department have the necessary tools and resources to ensure security. It is concerning that neither hammadi nor alwan had worked for any u. S. Organization in iraq, yet both received Refugee Status for humanitarian reasons. All this being said, i am glad to hear that the interagency security screening and adjudication processing for refugees has undergone a number of enhancements since it was initiated, particularly regarding intelligence and information sharing with the Intelligence Community. In particular, i would like to call attention to the biographic check done in collaboration with the National Counterterrorism center, known as interagency checks. I am encouraged that this Security Check is now required for all refugee applicants ages 14 to 65, regardless of nationality. As we all know, the United States welcomes more refugees than any other country in the world. I think the u. S. Government policy of resettling refugees, especially those who risked their lives helping our soldiers and diplomats, is important. My goal today is to highlight these issues to ensure that security gaps are closed to prevent terrorists from infiltrating our Refugee Programs. Moreover, i want to ensure that the Lessons Learned from this breakdown are applied to the future adjudication of refugees from other highrisk nations. Again, i thank the witnesses for their hard work on this important issue and for being here today. The chair now recognizes the ranking minority leader of the subcommittee, the gentlelady from california, miss hahn, for any statement she may have. Good morning. Thank you, chairman, for holding this very important hearing today, as well as the committee for allowing me to serve today in this capacity. I also want to thank the panel for appearing before us and providing the expert testimony on these critical issues. Every year, the United States admits thousands of refugees through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, a program authorized by congress to support and provide opportunity to those who live in fear of persecution. Since 1975, the United States Refugee Admissions Program has admitted over 3 million refugees. The United States receives more refugees than all other countries combined. Resettlement in the United States gives refugees the opportunity to share in americas promise and the ability to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of their happiness. Many refugee entrepreneurs have received help from the United States and Community Organizations to assist in Refugee Resettlement. Because of the support, there have been countless Success Stories of refugees who come to america and have given remarkable contributions to this country and communities. Hence, we can agree that the Refugee Admissions Program is beneficial and that it should be continued. However, vulnerabilities in the program have been exposed. In 2011, the department of justice issued indictments to two iraqi refugees living in kentucky for plotting to provide Material Support to al qaeda in iraq. Since the indictment was issued, both refugees pleaded guilty to all counts. The department of justice, specifically the investigations of the joint Terrorism Task force, should be applauded for their efforts in thwarting this potential terrorist activity. Unfortunately, the joint Terrorism Task force was not the first entity that had information on one of these convicted terrorists. In 2005, one mans fingerprint was found on a roadside bomb in iraq. This iinformation was in a department of defense database that was not checked in his Background Investigation when he applied to the Refugee Admissions Program. This illustrates that we still have failed to close remaining information sharing gaps that continue to persist since september 11 terrorist attacks. I look forward to hearing today from the witnesses on how measures to close gaps in the refugee admission process are being put in place. In addition, separate and apart from the Refugee Resettlement program, i would like to hear what measures are being put in place to ensure that the special immigrant visa program, a program for iraqis and afghans, is a free from vulnerability. We want to keep the United States as a safe haven for both those in need and those that are here by birth or through the naturalization process. One way to do that is to ensure that our Government Agencies are working together to collectively attain this goal. Thank you. I yield back. Let me thank Ranking Member hahn for her opening statement. Others number of the committee, i remind you that Opening Statements may be submitted for the record. We are pleased to have three distinguished witnesses before us on this important topic. Let me introduce them, from left to right from my left to right. Mr. Lawrence bartlett is the director of the office of refugee admissions at the u. S. Department of States Bureau of population, refugees, and migration. He leads the state Department Program abroad and in the u. S. That identifies processes, places, and received more than 260,000 refugees in the United States over the past four years alone. Previously, mr. Bartlett held the state Department Leadership position for refugees from afghanistan, iraq, kosovo, and lebanon. Mr. Bartlett served as the peace corps country director in bulgaria and jordan and was a peace corps volunteer in the yemen arab republic. Miss Barbara Strack is the chief of the Refugee Affairs division at the department of homeland securitiys citizenship and Immigration Services. Ms. Stracks responsibilities include managing the refugee corps and headquarters to support the u. S. Refugee Admission Program by conducting overseas adjudications and the related policy training, quality assurance, antifraud, and nationalsecurity efforts. Miss strack came to dhs with both public and private sector experience, serving in the policy office of the former immigration and naturalization service, as a Senate Committee counsel, among other positions. Miss dawn scalici is the deputy undersecretary for analysis in the office of intelligence and analysis at the department of Homeland Security. In this capacity, she leads the offices analytic efforts with a special focus on advancing analysis and developing intelligence products to support the dhs leadership and state, local, tribal, and private sector partners. Prior to joining dhs, she served as the director for production and Strategic Programming at the cias office of iraq analysis where she oversaw strategic analysis in iraq and led efforts to advance planning, analytic trade craft, and community collaboration. She earlier served as the Deputy Director for Mission Management at the National Counterterrorism center, helping oversee National Intelligence relating to counterterrorism missions. She is a 29year veteran of the cia. For all witnesses, it would be greatly appreciated if you would be aware that your testimony is important to us, but we try to work within time parameters, so i know you will be guided, otherwise having submitted written testimony, as well. I recognize mr. Bartlett for his testimony. Thank you. Chairman meehan, Ranking Member higgins and other distinguished members, thank you for the opportunity to appear before your subcommittee and to update you on the steps we have taken to increase the security of the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program. Every year the u. S. Admits tens of thousands of refugees as part of a humanitarian effort that reflects the highest values and aspirations of the american people, in a program that is authorized by congress and historically has enjoyed broad bipartisan congressional support. Since 1975, the United States Refugee Admissions Program has welcomed over three million refugees to the United States. That is over three Million People with a new chance at life, dignity, self sufficiency, at raising a family and being part of our community. With the admission of each new refugee, we celebrate the rebirth of americas promise. For decades, American Communities have opened their hearts, homes, and neighborhoods to refugees from around the world. Our responsibility is to ensure that they do so with continued confidence in the security of the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program, a responsibility the state department shares with the department of Homeland Security. Specifically, the state Departments Bureau of population, refugees and migration, through our resettlement support centers, conducts preliminary overseas prescreening of refugee applicants for u. S. Admissions, collecting pertinent biographic information necessary for numerous consular, Law Enforcement and intelligence reviews. The state department is responsible for checking all refugee applicants against the consular lookout and support system known as class, which comprises security information from the fbi terrorist Screening Center and dhs as well as certain intelligence agencies. Certain refugee applications are also submitted by the state department for a security advisory opinion. This check requests that certain Law Enforcement and intelligence agencies share with the state department any information they have on refugee applicants with possible terrorism linkages. Our partners at dhs u. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as well as dhss office of intelligence and analysis, will discuss in their testimony the additional security and other counterterrorism checks that they undertake in partnership with the National Counterterrorism center, dod and others in the Intelligence Community and Law Enforcement, before dhs grants Refugee Status and admission to a refugee applicant and his or her qualifying family members. The state department strongly supports these efforts by dhs uscis. This subcommittees request for testimony included questions pertaining to the congressionallymandated special immigrant visa siv program, which facilitates the admission of u. S. Government affiliated foreigner nationals, including iraqis and afghans, to the United States. The siv program, which is distinct from the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program, is managed by the state Departments Bureau of consular affairs. While i am not in a position to address siv processing issues, i can tell you that siv applicants also undergo multiple, extensive layers of security and counterterrorism review. Whether through the administration of the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program or the special immigrant visa program, the state department makes its Farewell Speech<\/a> i cannot remember what exactly he said, but he said, we forgot one thing. We forgot the resignation letter. He said, you do not get it. You need to read it. I thought the best way was not for me as a historian it was for the players, keep People Living<\/a> from that era to tell the story themselves. I thought the best way to do this was to start a video Oral History Program<\/a> that involved nixon players but also players in the watergate drama, on the left and right, have them tell the story, and use portions of that story in the museum to let visitors understand the complexity of this problem. The former head of the nixon president ial museum he details the librarys oral history project. Tonight at 8 00 on cspan. Student cam the entries with your message to the president are now due. Get them to cspan by friday, january 18 perchance at the grand prize of 5,000. For more details, go to studentcam. Org. A hearing looking into the abuse of Refugee Program<\/a>s by terrorists. Hosted by a House Homeland Security<\/a> subcommittee and chaired by representative patrick meehan, this is just under an hour and a half. Tthe committee on Homeland Security<\/a> and subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence will come to order. The subcommitttee is meeting today to hear testimony regarding the exploitation of refugee prgrams by terrorists. I would like to welcome everyone to todays hearing. I look forward to hearing from todays witnesses from the department of Homeland Security<\/a> and the state department. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank them for taking the time to be here with us today. You are all dedicated Public Servants<\/a> and we thank you for the hard work you do on a day today basis. I know you have provided extensive briefings to my staff over the last year on this issue and i greatly appreciate your assistance on this important issue. From 2004 to 2007, the insurgency in iraq produced substantial civilian displacement and emigration from the country. In response to the growing humanitarian crisis, Congress Passed<\/a> legislation, which gave iraqis who helped the u. S. Government or military the opportunity to receive special Refugee Status<\/a> and resettlement in the United States<\/a>. While the motivation behind creating these special immigrant categories were well intentioned, the fact remains that in may 2011, two iraqi nationals who were given Refugee Status<\/a> and resettled in the u. S. Were arrested and accused by the fbi of plotting to send weapons and money to al qaeda in iraq. One of the men arrested had openly discussed his Prior Experience<\/a> as an insurgent in iraq and the ied attacks he participated against u. S. Troops. The fingerprints of the other iraqi refugee charged were traced by the fbi to a component of an unexploded ied that was recovered by u. S. Forces in northern iraq. In the wake of these arrests, dhs secretary Janet Napolitano<\/a> and others have publicly acknowledged that Security Check<\/a>s have been expanded to the more than 58,000 iraqi refugees who had already been settled in the United States<\/a>. According to press reports this past february, intelligence indicates that the threat posed by refugees with ties to al qaeda is much broader than was previously believed. Fbi director Robert Mueller<\/a> stated last year during congressional testimony before the House Intelligence Committee<\/a> that he continues to be concerned with individuals who may have been resettled here in the United States<\/a> that have some association with al qaeda in iraq. There are also reports that that immigration authorities have given the fbi roughly 300 names of iraqi refugees for further investigation. With the recent movement of aqi fighters into syria and reports just yesterday of chemical weapons being moved, i am increasingly worried that terrorists may try to exploit various Refugee Resettlement<\/a> programs via turkey, jordan or other countries where many refugees have fled to escape the bloodshed. It is imperative that the interagency security screening process for refugees be formidable and credible. The purpose of this hearing is to identify any remaining gaps in the security screening process that need to be remedied, and to ensure dhs and the state department have the necessary tools and resources to ensure security. It is concerning that neither hammadi nor alwan had worked for any u. S. Organization in iraq, yet both received Refugee Status<\/a> for humanitarian reasons. All this being said, i am glad to hear that the interagency security screening and adjudication processing for refugees has undergone a number of enhancements since it was initiated, particularly regarding intelligence and information sharing with the Intelligence Community<\/a>. In particular, i would like to call attention to the biographic check done in collaboration with the National Counterterrorism<\/a> center, known as interagency checks. I am encouraged that this Security Check<\/a> is now required for all refugee applicants ages 14 to 65, regardless of nationality. As we all know, the United States<\/a> welcomes more refugees than any other country in the world. I think the u. S. Government policy of resettling refugees, especially those who risked their lives helping our soldiers and diplomats, is important. My goal today is to highlight these issues to ensure that security gaps are closed to prevent terrorists from infiltrating our Refugee Program<\/a>s. Moreover, i want to ensure that the Lessons Learned<\/a> from this breakdown are applied to the future adjudication of refugees from other highrisk nations. Again, i thank the witnesses for their hard work on this important issue and for being here today. The chair now recognizes the ranking minority leader of the subcommittee, the gentlelady from california, miss hahn, for any statement she may have. Good morning. Thank you, chairman, for holding this very important hearing today, as well as the committee for allowing me to serve today in this capacity. I also want to thank the panel for appearing before us and providing the expert testimony on these critical issues. Every year, the United States<\/a> admits thousands of refugees through the United States<\/a> Refugee Admissions Program<\/a>, a program authorized by congress to support and provide opportunity to those who live in fear of persecution. Since 1975, the United States<\/a> Refugee Admissions Program<\/a> has admitted over 3 million refugees. The United States<\/a> receives more refugees than all other countries combined. Resettlement in the United States<\/a> gives refugees the opportunity to share in americas promise and the ability to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of their happiness. Many refugee entrepreneurs have received help from the United States<\/a> and Community Organizations<\/a> to assist in Refugee Resettlement<\/a>. Because of the support, there have been countless Success Stories<\/a> of refugees who come to america and have given remarkable contributions to this country and communities. Hence, we can agree that the Refugee Admissions Program<\/a> is beneficial and that it should be continued. However, vulnerabilities in the program have been exposed. In 2011, the department of justice issued indictments to two iraqi refugees living in kentucky for plotting to provide Material Support<\/a> to al qaeda in iraq. Since the indictment was issued, both refugees pleaded guilty to all counts. The department of justice, specifically the investigations of the joint Terrorism Task<\/a> force, should be applauded for their efforts in thwarting this potential terrorist activity. Unfortunately, the joint Terrorism Task<\/a> force was not the first entity that had information on one of these convicted terrorists. In 2005, one mans fingerprint was found on a roadside bomb in iraq. This iinformation was in a department of defense database that was not checked in his Background Investigation<\/a> when he applied to the Refugee Admissions Program<\/a>. This illustrates that we still have failed to close remaining information sharing gaps that continue to persist since september 11 terrorist attacks. I look forward to hearing today from the witnesses on how measures to close gaps in the refugee admission process are being put in place. In addition, separate and apart from the Refugee Resettlement<\/a> program, i would like to hear what measures are being put in place to ensure that the special immigrant visa program, a program for iraqis and afghans, is a free from vulnerability. We want to keep the United States<\/a> as a safe haven for both those in need and those that are here by birth or through the naturalization process. One way to do that is to ensure that our Government Agencies<\/a> are working together to collectively attain this goal. Thank you. I yield back. Let me thank Ranking Member<\/a> hahn for her opening statement. Others number of the committee, i remind you that Opening Statements<\/a> may be submitted for the record. We are pleased to have three distinguished witnesses before us on this important topic. Let me introduce them, from left to right from my left to right. Mr. Lawrence bartlett is the director of the office of refugee admissions at the u. S. Department of States Bureau<\/a> of population, refugees, and migration. He leads the state Department Program<\/a> abroad and in the u. S. That identifies processes, places, and received more than 260,000 refugees in the United States<\/a> over the past four years alone. Previously, mr. Bartlett held the state Department Leadership<\/a> position for refugees from afghanistan, iraq, kosovo, and lebanon. Mr. Bartlett served as the peace corps country director in bulgaria and jordan and was a peace corps volunteer in the yemen arab republic. Miss Barbara Strack<\/a> is the chief of the Refugee Affairs<\/a> division at the department of homeland securitiys citizenship and Immigration Services<\/a>. Ms. Stracks responsibilities include managing the refugee corps and headquarters to support the u. S. Refugee Admission Program<\/a> by conducting overseas adjudications and the related policy training, quality assurance, antifraud, and nationalsecurity efforts. Miss strack came to dhs with both public and private sector experience, serving in the policy office of the former immigration and naturalization service, as a Senate Committee<\/a> counsel, among other positions. Miss dawn scalici is the deputy undersecretary for analysis in the office of intelligence and analysis at the department of Homeland Security<\/a>. In this capacity, she leads the offices analytic efforts with a special focus on advancing analysis and developing intelligence products to support the dhs leadership and state, local, tribal, and private sector partners. Prior to joining dhs, she served as the director for production and Strategic Programming<\/a> at the cias office of iraq analysis where she oversaw strategic analysis in iraq and led efforts to advance planning, analytic trade craft, and community collaboration. She earlier served as the Deputy Director<\/a> for Mission Management<\/a> at the National Counterterrorism<\/a> center, helping oversee National Intelligence<\/a> relating to counterterrorism missions. She is a 29year veteran of the cia. For all witnesses, it would be greatly appreciated if you would be aware that your testimony is important to us, but we try to work within time parameters, so i know you will be guided, otherwise having submitted written testimony, as well. I recognize mr. Bartlett for his testimony. Thank you. Chairman meehan, Ranking Member<\/a> higgins and other distinguished members, thank you for the opportunity to appear before your subcommittee and to update you on the steps we have taken to increase the security of the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program<\/a>. Every year the u. S. Admits tens of thousands of refugees as part of a humanitarian effort that reflects the highest values and aspirations of the american people, in a program that is authorized by congress and historically has enjoyed broad bipartisan congressional support. Since 1975, the United States<\/a> Refugee Admissions Program<\/a> has welcomed over three million refugees to the United States<\/a>. That is over three Million People<\/a> with a new chance at life, dignity, self sufficiency, at raising a family and being part of our community. With the admission of each new refugee, we celebrate the rebirth of americas promise. For decades, American Communities<\/a> have opened their hearts, homes, and neighborhoods to refugees from around the world. Our responsibility is to ensure that they do so with continued confidence in the security of the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program<\/a>, a responsibility the state department shares with the department of Homeland Security<\/a>. Specifically, the state Departments Bureau<\/a> of population, refugees and migration, through our resettlement support centers, conducts preliminary overseas prescreening of refugee applicants for u. S. Admissions, collecting pertinent biographic information necessary for numerous consular, Law Enforcement<\/a> and intelligence reviews. The state department is responsible for checking all refugee applicants against the consular lookout and support system known as class, which comprises security information from the fbi terrorist Screening Center<\/a> and dhs as well as certain intelligence agencies. Certain refugee applications are also submitted by the state department for a security advisory opinion. This check requests that certain Law Enforcement<\/a> and intelligence agencies share with the state department any information they have on refugee applicants with possible terrorism linkages. Our partners at dhs u. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services<\/a> as well as dhss office of intelligence and analysis, will discuss in their testimony the additional security and other counterterrorism checks that they undertake in partnership with the National Counterterrorism<\/a> center, dod and others in the Intelligence Community<\/a> and Law Enforcement<\/a>, before dhs grants Refugee Status<\/a> and admission to a refugee applicant and his or her qualifying family members. The state department strongly supports these efforts by dhs uscis. This subcommittees request for testimony included questions pertaining to the congressionallymandated special immigrant visa siv program, which facilitates the admission of u. S. Government affiliated foreigner nationals, including iraqis and afghans, to the United States<\/a>. The siv program, which is distinct from the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program<\/a>, is managed by the state Departments Bureau<\/a> of consular affairs. While i am not in a position to address siv processing issues, i can tell you that siv applicants also undergo multiple, extensive layers of security and counterterrorism review. Whether through the administration of the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program<\/a> or the special immigrant visa program, the state department makes its First Priority<\/a> the safety of the american people, who have a right to expect that their government will undertake all available efforts to safeguard their security. We at the department of state are proud of the measures we have taken in recent years to strengthen the security of these programs, including through expanded Intelligence Community<\/a> participation measures which have made the country safer. In partnership with dhs, we will continue to look for additional ways to enhance the safety and security of these important humanitarian programs. This is our obligation to the american people. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I look forward to answering your questions. Thank you, mr. Bartlett. Miss strack, the committee now recognizes you for your testimony. Thank you, mr. Chairman, and members of the subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to testify today about the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program<\/a> and the department of Homeland Security<\/a>s efforts to deter exploitation of that program by terrorist groups. As the chief of the Refugee Affairs<\/a> division at u. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services<\/a>, i work in Close Partnership<\/a> with the other components of dhs and with colleagues at the department of States Bureau<\/a> of population, refugees, and migration. We strive to meet the Programs Mission<\/a> of offering Resettlement Opportunities<\/a> to eligible refugees while safeguarding the integrity of the program and our national security. Uscis is proud to play a part in the United States<\/a> longstanding tradition of offering protection, freedom, and opportunity to refugees. An integral part of this mission is to ensure that Refugee Resettlement<\/a> opportunities go to those who are truly eligible and who do not present a risk to the safety or security of the United States<\/a>. Accordingly, we are committed to deterring and detecting fraud among those seeking to resettle in the u. S. , and we worked hard to develop and implement the best security screening measures for refugee applicants in close collaboration with the Law Enforcement<\/a>, national security, and intelligence communities. I will focus this morning on the enhancements that were first adopted by the u. S. Refugee Admissions Program<\/a> in connection with largescale processing of iraqi applicants beginning in 2007 and the lessons we have learned since and applied more broadly to other populations. Usciss first tool to ensure the integrity of the Refugee Resettlement<\/a> program is its dedicated and welltrained officer corps. This special cadre of officers travels around the world to conduct detailed, inperson interviews with refugee applicants. They adjudicate these cases based on u. S. Law, taking into account their knowledge of country conditions and their assessment of the applicants credibility. When necessary, certain categories of cases, including Certain National<\/a> security related cases, are referred back to headquarters. This provides another opportunity to conduct Additional Research<\/a> and security before finalizing decisions. In addition to inperson interviews, Security Check<\/a>s are integral part of the u. S. Resettlement program. All available biographic and biometric information is vetted against a broad array of Law Enforcement<\/a>, Intelligence Community<\/a>, and other relevant data bases to help confirm an applicants identity, to check for any criminal or other derogatory information, and to identify information that could inform lines of questioning at the interview itself. While the state Department Takes<\/a> the lead for certain biographic checks, biometric checks are coordinated by uscis using mobile fingerprint equipment. These fingerprints are screened against the fbis vast biometric holdings and also screened and enrolled in dhss biometric system, which is known as ident. Through ident, applicant fingerprints are not only screened against watch list information but also previous immigration encounters that may be relevant to their eligibility. What i have just described is the baseline of Security Check<\/a>s that were conducted for all refugee applicants before the launch of largescale processing of iraqi applicants in 2007. In order to mitigate the risk of exploitation, while offering Resettlement Opportunities<\/a> to thousands of iraqi refugees in need of protection, uscis developed two key partnerships. First, we established a relationship with the department of defense to augment our biometrics screening check against a dod database. That includes fingerprint records captured in theatre in iraq and elsewhere, so it is a valuable resource to identify a wide array of relevant information. For example, it includes data ranging from individuals who had been detained by u. S. Forces to those who had been employed by u. S. Forces. In addition, we reached out to dhss office of intelligence and analysis to take advantage of their expertise and their knowledge of the broader Intelligence Community<\/a>. Working with them has enabled us to identify potential screening capabilities to obtain critical intelligence information and to enlist their services in our enhanced officer training. As a result, we have been able to enhance our refugee vettingprotocols over time for both iraqi applicants and other nationalities. In the fall of 2008, we launched a new biographic check for iraqi applicants with the National Counterterrorism<\/a> center, and we added further Intelligence Community<\/a> support in july 2010 for what we refer to as interagency checks. We have expanded this vetting protocol to other nationalities over time, and it is now required for all refugee applicants ages 14 to 65. In light of the time, i will conclude my testimony, and i look forward to answering any questions you may have. Thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning. Thank you, miss strack. I note for the record that you and mrs. Scalici joined together in preparing the written testimony, and so your testimony reflects the Opening Statements<\/a> for both of you. I am grateful for your preparation for this and for your appearance here today. I now recognize myself for opening questions. Let me begin first with the recognition that we have had some 68,000 iraqi refugees resettled in the country since 2007. What comfort can we have that there has been adequate screening, recognizing that many of those refugees were allowed into the country during aperiod of time during which there was a response to matters in iraq and less scrutiny that was given on the front end than may exist today . What comfort i am not in the business of asking for guarantees, but i would like to have you explain how it is that we can feel confident that we do not have a situation with 68,000 refugees who were allowed in the country in the last six years mr. Bartlett . Thank you, mr. Chairman. If i could start, and i will defer to my colleagues at the department of Homeland Security<\/a>, but i think i would like to start by saying that obviously the administrations commitment to resettling iraq refugees is steadfast. Conducting this program in a way that is responsible, and responsible in a humanitarian way, as well as in a security effort, are really our two main issues and our two main responsibilities. The Refugee Program<\/a> and the refugee screening for iraqis is no different than it is for any other nationality we conduct a full battery of tests, and we have since the beginning of the iraqi resettlement program. Those tests have evolved over the time as vulnerabilities have been discovered and as new intelligence has been put into databases. We continue to look at that population, but frankly, as with any population, we want to make sure that this is a population that is safe to resettle. When you say it is no different than any other, wouldnt there be a higher level of scrutiny of those coming from the country in which we know theres a high degree of terrorist activity and al qaeda activity . The screening level is calibrated, to some extent, by the country of origin, but we also resettle refugees from afghanistan. We resettle refugees from parts of africa where there is also turmoil. What is incumbent on all of us to do is to look at specific intelligence that comes from, that derives from those situations. I would defer to my colleagues let me pursue this. Youre telling me there is a generalized approach to this humanitarian immigration. I can see somebody from gambia or ethiopia or maybe ethiopia could be questionable we do not have the same degree of inherent issues, but with those in iraq, afghanistan, jordan, syria, egypt, do we have some kind of a method in which there is a specific heightened level of scrutiny for those who are seeking to come into this country . My opening question, i note, related to asking for your response with regard to the 58,000 iraqi refugees who are already here i am sort of giving you two questions, but i want you to answer about these other countries now, and get back to what i asked about the 58,000 iraqi refugees. Let me do my best. I think i will have to defer to specificity for my department of Homeland Security<\/a> colleagues. The types of checks that are implemented for refugees are largely similar i think, the difference my colleagues will expand upon this is the types of information i","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia800404.us.archive.org\/32\/items\/CSPAN_20130106_103000_Terrorist--Refugee_Programs\/CSPAN_20130106_103000_Terrorist--Refugee_Programs.thumbs\/CSPAN_20130106_103000_Terrorist--Refugee_Programs_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240619T12:35:10+00:00"}