Two top Republican lawmakers want to know more about the potential threat of terrorists gaining entry into the United States through the nation’s southwest border.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Tuesday seeking “information on aliens from countries of particular concern” who have been picked up at the border.
The letter follows a report that five Syrian men were arrested in Honduras with falsified passports. None have been deemed a terrorist threat, however.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported six Syrians family members were arrested last week after trying to gain access to the United States through Laredo, Texas.
“These incidents reflect a concerted effort by Syrians to evade inspection and illegally enter the United States,” Grassley and Goodlatte wrote to Johnson.
The two Republican lawmakers want Johnson to provide a list of people who were apprehended since 2011 trying to enter the United States from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. The letter also requests information on “what, if any, immigration benefit the alien was ultimately granted.”
The letter follows assurances by the Obama administration that the Syrian refugees they plan to resettle in the United States are being thoroughly vetted for possible terrorism links or security concerns. “Such a fact makes it even more important to know whether Syrians apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. illegally have been allowed by this administration to remain in the U.S. and have been provided immigration benefits,” the two lawmakers wrote.
