Why It
Takes Two Years for Syrian Refugees to Enter the U.S.
1. Registration with the United
Nations.
2. Interview with the United
Nations.
3. Refugee status granted by the
United Nations.
4. Referral for resettlement in
the United States.
The United Nations decides if the person
fits the definition of a refugee and whether to refer the person to a country
for resettlement. Only the most vulnerable are referred, accounting for fewer
than 1 percent of refugees worldwide. Some people spend years waiting in refugee
camps.
5. Interview with State Department
contractors.
6. First background check.
7. Higher-level background check
for some.
8. Another background check.
The refugee’s name is run through law
enforcement and intelligence databases for terrorist or criminal history. Some
go through a higher-level clearance before they can continue. A third
background check was introduced in 2008 for Iraqis but has since been expanded
to all refugees ages 14 to 65.
9. First fingerprint screening;
photo taken.
10. Second fingerprint screening.
11. Third fingerprint screening.
The refugee’s fingerprints are screened
against F.B.I. and Homeland Security databases, which contain watch list
information and past immigration encounters, including if the refugee
previously applied for a visa at a United States embassy. Fingerprints are also
checked against those collected by the Defense Department during operations in
Iraq.
12. Case reviewed at United States
immigration headquarters.
13. Some cases referred for additional
review.
Syrian applicants must undergo these two
additional steps. Each is reviewed by a United States
Citizenship and Immigration Services refugee specialist. Cases with “national
security indicators” are given to the Homeland Security Department’s fraud
detection unit.
14. Extensive, in-person interview
with Homeland Security officer.
Most of the interviews with Syrians have
been done in Jordan and Turkey.
15. Homeland Security approval is
required.
If the House bill becomes law, the
director of the F.B.I., the Homeland Security secretary and the director of
national intelligence would be required to confirm that the applicant poses no
threat.
16. Screening for contagious
diseases.
17. Cultural orientation class.
18. Matched with an American resettlement
agency.
19. Multi-agency security check before
leaving for the United States.
Because of the long amount of time
between the initial screening and departure, officials conduct a final check
before the refugee leaves for the United States.
20. Final security check at an
American airport.
Note: If such rules had been in force when my family and I immigrated to America from Germany in 1939, I would have been murdered in Auschwitz a few years later. ----RHW
Note: If such rules had been in force when my family and I immigrated to America from Germany in 1939, I would have been murdered in Auschwitz a few years later. ----RHW
New
York Times Insider, November 23, 2015
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