Ernst Joins Bipartisan Letter to President on Potential ISIS Infiltration of Syrian Refugee Flow

Press Release

In the aftermath of the November 13th terrorist attacks in Paris that killed at least 129 people and injured hundreds more, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) joined a letter led by Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) to President Barack Obama urging the Administration to ensure that no members, supporters or sympathizers of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are infiltrating Syrian refugee movements to enter the United States. ISIS claimed responsibility for the synchronized terror attacks in Paris, and French and other European officials said at least one of the attackers used the flow of Syrian refugees to enter the European Union.

In September 2015, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper warned of the U.S. intelligence community's "huge concern" that ISIS may attempt to infiltrate Syrian refugees to enter Europe and possibly the United States. In October 2015, FBI Director James Comey cautioned about the U.S. government's limitations in thoroughly vetting all Syrian refugees for national security risk. Since 2012, the United States has reportedly admitted 1854 Syrian refugees into the country.

"While our country has a long history of welcoming refugees and has an important role to play in the heartbreaking Syrian refugee crisis, our first and most important priority must be to ensure that any refugee who comes to the United States does not present a threat to the American people," the Senators wrote. "We believe that an essential component of that effort is ensuring that no refugee related to the Syrian crisis is admitted to the United States unless the U.S. government can guarantee, with 100 percent assurance, that they are not members, supporters, or sympathizers of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also known as Daesh or ISIL."

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