The number of Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers in the United States has risen in the past few years, raising concerns about the possible terror ties of some of them.
In a US House hearing last month, Rep. Peter King said while he agrees that "the vast majority of Syrian refugees do not have ties to terror groups," he is concerned that with the current security vetting procedures, there "is the lack of on-the-ground intelligence necessary to identify terror links."
He said in the last four years, the conflict in Syria has forced more than 3.9 million people to flee largely due to the threat posed by the Islamic State.
US State Department data showed that 968 Syrian refugees have resettled in the US this year, according to a Fox News report, from an average of 30 in the past years.
As of March, more than 1,500 Syrians have been granted asylum in the US since the start of the war, based on data from the Department of Homeland Security. In 2009, there were only 11 who were granted asylum.
King warned that "with the lack of stable foreign governments, foreign intelligence agencies, military intelligence, US embassy support, and access to human intelligence on the ground in Syria, the information and intelligence that we are able to acquire regarding individuals who seek to enter the US is limited, and often times, unverifiable."
"This significantly degrades the quality and accuracy of our vetting process.The US has seen the danger of flawed refugee vetting, as well as the potential for refugees to be radicalised once they are in the US," he said.
He cited the cases of two Iraqi refugees who were arrested in May 2011 in Kentucky and charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals abroad and attempting to help terrorists and al-Qaeda in Iraq. King also mentioned the Tsarnaev brothers who plotted the Boston Marathon attacks.
Anne Richard, State Department assistant secretary of state for population, refugees, and migration, said Syrian refugees undergo strict screening that takes up to two years.
"It is not a fast-moving process. We have a very careful, very deliberative process," she said.
In the hearing, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said he has sent letters to the White House to warn against speeding up the acceptance of Syrian refugees.
