Syrian refugees are carefully screened, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch says

While the United States must remain cautious,  officials in Turkey and Jordan are doing a thorough job screening Syrian refugees before approving them for resettlement in America, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch says.

In a telephone interview this week from Jordan, the South Boston Democrat said foreign officials and American agencies working in Syrian refugee camps in Turkey and Jordan are using “robust systems” for the vetting process, which now generally takes about two years.

“I think a robust vetting process is necessary, and I think it’s in place right now,” Lynch said after visiting the Kilis Oncupinar Accommodation Facility in Turkey and the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. The congressional delegation also planned to stop in Lebanon and Hungary this week.

President Barack Obama has called for the United States to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees for resettlement this fiscal year, despite opposition from some lawmakers who say they present a terrorism threat. Reports that one of the terrorists involved in the November terrorist attacks in Paris may have used a fake Syrian passport to enter Europe with other refugees bolstered that sentiment.

While more than 4.5 million Syrians have fled their country since the uprising began in 2011, Lynch said very few of them are seeking resettlement in the United States.

“About 70 percent of these refugees are not applying for any type of resettlement. They’re just living in camps and waiting for the war to end, so there are millions and millions on the border that just want to go home, and a very, very small fraction is designated for resettlement in the United States,” Lynch said. “We only take the best of the best in terms of people who are vulnerable, but also eligible with proper documentation.”

Lynch said about 40,000 Syrians are at the Kilis Oncupinar camp in Turkey, which is just over the border from Syria. All refugees seeking resettlement are fingerprinted and must provide proper documentation.

“They know there have been some illegal passports used so they’ve got a computerized system that can verify whether or not those passports are real,” Lynch said. “They will not approve anyone for resettlement who isn’t confirmed.”

Officials at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan take the process a step further through a pilot program that includes doing iris scans in addition to fingerprints, which Lynch said he’d like to see adopted universally.

“The Jordanians are very thorough, and they are concerned about anyone allowed into the United States,” Lynch said.

Agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Citizenship and Immigration Services are also screening each applicant thoroughly, with no more than 10 or so interviews a day, Lynch said.

Lynch also praised Jordan’s King Abdullah and Queen Rania for their handling of more than 600,000 Syrian refugees now in the country. For example, Jordanian schools have gone to split shifts, allowing their own children to attend classes during the day and Syrian children to go at night.

“That puts a lot of pressure on the teaching staff here, but both Jordanian and Syrian teachers have stepped up and the two-shift system is the quickest and cheapest to implement,” Lynch said.