Congressman Jason Chaffetz released the following statement regarding President Obama's announcement to resettle thousands more Syrian refugees in the United States.
"While the United States has and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the crisis, we must not overlook the inherent security risks of this decision by President Obama. Make no mistake, nefarious actors will take advantage of our generosity and abuse our broken immigration system. Our asylum system is badly broken and easily manipulated. I don’t trust this Administration’s ability to vet new arrivals – particularly when their policies have already caused a surge of illegal immigration on our southern border. I am committed to work with the committees of jurisdiction to assess the risks and evaluate solutions.”
Earlier this year, Congressman Chaffetz introduced HR 1153, the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act. This bill would tighten the “credible fear” standard asylum seekers must meet in an effort to reduce fraud and abuse.
