Marsha Blackburn: “Recently Secretary Kerry pledged that the United States would accept 185,000 refugees from the war-torn Syrian area.…”

“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. ____________________”