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Why the U.S. Can't Immediately Resettle Syrian Refugees

Security concerns and an intense vetting process leave many hopefuls waiting for months.

By Teresa Welsh Sept. 15, 2015

The U.S. admits around 70,000 refugees per year – more than any other country – and President Barack Obama last week pledged that America would take in 10,000 Syrians alone during the next fiscal year. Yet as a fractured Europe strains under the massive influx of migrants arriving in its countries via boat and on foot, aid organizations argue the U.S. should be doing more to help resettle those fleeing conflict and repressive governments in the Middle East and Africa.

The U.S. government's process to resettle refugees on American soil, however, is complex and time-consuming. It consists of multiple government agencies putting potential arrivals through extensive security and health screenings to ensure they are who they say they are, that they are truly fleeing persecution and that they will resettle peacefully in the U.S.

The process involves the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services. The government also collaborates with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – the U.N. agency that refers refugees to the U.S. – and aid organizations like the International Organization for Migration, as well as national, state and local groups that provide on-the-ground assistance to those approved to resettle in the U.S.

The West has repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to end the Syrian civil war, but as that remains elusive, the world must figure out how to handle those fleeing the conflict. The growth of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq has further complicated things, meaning refugees displaced from their homes both inside Syria and outside are unlikely to be able to return anytime soon. The terrorist organization's rapid spread also contributes to the necessity of government security checks on refugees to ensure no members of the group are legally allowed in.

The U.N. refugee agency didn't start referring Syrian refugees for resettlement elsewhere until 2014, even though the war began in 2011. The organization typically doesn't turn to resettlement as the first option for refugees during a conflict's early stages, hoping instead they'll be able to return home soon and that a permanent alternative will not be necessary.

But before referrals ever arrive on American soil, refugees seeking admission to the U.S. are subject to a rigorous vetting process due to security concerns. All applicants must have an in-person interview with a DHS representative and pass security checks and a medical exam – a series of steps the U.S. conducts in over 70 locations around the world and measures that add to the time it takes before individuals can be registered by the U.N. refugee agency and arrive in the U.S.

Refugees hoping to come to the U.S., for example, must be tested for tuberculosis, which can take up to eight weeks. They also attend a cultural orientation before they arrive. Typically, a refugee approved for American resettlement does not arrive in the U.S. until 18 to 24 months after the process begins.

"A lot of other countries can do things like waive an in-person interview. They can take a case based on [a] dossier. They do very few security checks in some cases," a senior State Department official told reporters on background. "Those are not options that are available to us."

While Europe is struggling to deal with the crisis and decide how best to share the influx of migrants, countries much smaller than the U.S. have announced they'll take in many more refugees. Germany said it could handle 500,000 Syrian refugees per year for the foreseeable future, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would welcome them. But over the weekend, Germany instituted border control measures due to an overwhelming influx of migrants that have traversed Eastern Europe in order to reach the wealthier nation.

Last year, the U.S. spent more than $1.1 billion on its refugee admissions program. About 75 percent of those admitted are U.N. referrals, with the remaining 25 percent coming from several government programs dedicated to people from specific countries who meet certain requirements, like Cuba and Iraq.

Because the U.S. accepts referrals from anywhere in the world, the government doesn't have the capacity to immediately vet someone referred by the U.N. refugee agency. A DHS official travels to wherever the refugee is located to conduct the interview, so sometimes a representative is not sent until there is a critical mass of people waiting for one.

"We've got a completely worldwide presence, which is also something that differentiates us from other resettlement countries," the State Department official said. "Most other resettlement countries focus on a handful of populations in certain locations."

After the interview to determine whether the individual qualifies legally as a refugee – a finding hinging upon whether a person has a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group – people undergo several rounds of security checks to ensure they have no ties to terrorist groups. Once refugees receive final approval, nonprofit resettlement agencies are responsible for placing people in a specific city.

Doris Meissner, former commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, says the U.S. is out of practice when it comes to responding to a massive refugee crisis. The last time it dealt with a large number of resettlements was in the early '90s, when the country took in refugees arriving by boat from both Cuba and Haiti.

But much has changed since then.

"We must recognize that we are now in one example of what the post-9/11 environment in the United States is," said Meissner, now a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute. "The ability that the United States has to actually bring people into the country as refugees or as immigrants is much more complex and takes a longer period of time."

Meissner said the U.S. is a key part of the global response, and that resettlement is an important part of the traditionally strong American reaction to global crises. She said the government must look at ways to speed up the vetting process if it is going to successfully resettle 10,000 Syrians.

"In order for us to be able to make a really robust, large-numbers response, it would take some – not changes in those procedures – but timeliness in those procedures that we haven't put into place," Meissner said. 

Identify and be prepared to discuss the reasons this author argues that the US needs to be careful and deliberate when accepting refugees.

What concerns are raised regarding the admittance of refugees in the US?