SYRIAN REFUGEES AND THE OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT; Congressional Record Vol. 161, No. 146

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SYRIAN REFUGEES AND THE OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

(Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was given permission to address the House

for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, recently Secretary Kerry pledged that

the United States would accept 185,000 refugees from the war-torn

Syrian area. This would be over 2 years.

America has been a generous, welcoming country; but I have to tell

you, while we have compassion for these refugees, Secretary Kerry's

pledge leaves us with some grave concerns.

The first is security. How can we verify these refugees do not

present a threat to our national security? Syria has proven to be a

fertile recruiting ground for Islamic extremists and terrorists.

Second, the Office of Refugee Resettlement has not been transparent

and accountable enough to handle the transfers. Over the past year, I

have been investigating ORR and found that they have not been filing

annual reports on their activities as required by law. In addition,

there is evidence of widespread abuse of refugees, including children,

who are improperly handled by the ORR. In many instances, a failure to

refer the abuse to the FBI has allowed child abusers to walk free.

The curtain must be pulled back completely on the ORR's operations

before we can trust it with a responsibility as serious as settling

Syrian refugees in the U.S. We must find the delicate balance and

protect our safety and security.

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