Senators want Obama to detail plans for vetting Syrian refugees

A bipartisan group of senators is asking President Obama to detail any additional steps the administration will take to vet Syrian refugees in the wake of last week’s attacks in Paris.

“It is already clear that ISIS is responsible for the barbaric attacks.  …  These facts require a serious and objective reexamination of the Administration’s policy toward Syrian refugees to avoid unnecessary risks,” Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) wrote in a letter to Obama on Monday.

{mosads}In addition to wanting to know about changes in screening, they are also asking Obama to discuss any challenges the administration has had so far in verifying background checks for refugee applicants.

They also want the president to address previous comments from FBI Director James Comey, who told House lawmakers last month that the U.S. government could face challenges vetting refugees if they aren’t already in the agency’s database.

The letter comes as the Paris attacks revive many Republicans’ long-held fears that a member of a terrorist group could sneak into the United States under the guise of being a refugee. A growing number of lawmakers want the administration to halt its plan to increase the number of refugees, including those from Syria, accepted into the U.S.

Friday’s attacks appear to have been carried out by at least one individual who came to France while posing as a refugee. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has formally claimed responsibility.

The senators added that in the wake of the attacks the administration must “redouble its efforts” to keep Americans safe.

“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,” they wrote.