Secretary Of State Details Refugee Vetting Procedures In Letter To Fallin

Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Charles Johnson detailed refugee vetting procedures in a four-and-a-half page long letter to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin.

Gov. Fallin, along with 30 other Republican governors, urged President Barack Obama to suspend accepting any Syrian refugees to the U.S. because the U.S. can’t vet them properly to make sure they’re not affiliated with terror groups.

11/16/2015 Related Story: Lawmakers Want Oklahoma To Refuse To Accept Syrian Refugees

In response to Gov. Fallin’s request, Kerry and Johnson detailed refugee vetting procedures in a letter, stating that the security vetting is, “extraordinarily thorough and comprehensive.”

The letter stated the security vetting is the most robust screening process for any category of individuals seeking admission into the U.S. The process is multi-layered and intensive, involving multiple law enforcement, national security, and intelligence agencies across the Federal Government, according to the letter.

Authorities continually evaluate whether more precautions are necessary.

Read the complete letter here. 

In the letter, Kerry and Johnson also stated that our government has pledged to increase the number of Syrian Refugees the U.S. will accept from about 1,682 last fiscal year to at least 10,000 this fiscal year. The overwhelming majority of Syrian refugees the U.S. has accepted and will accept are families, victims of torture and children, the letter stated.