Internal memo: Refugee program vulnerable to fraud

An internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo leaked publicly by House GOP lawmakers admits that refugee fraud is “easy to commit,” as the Obama administration seeks to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the U.S.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) revealed contents of the memo in a Thursday letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.

“[The] Refugee Program is particularly vulnerable to fraud due to loose evidentiary requirements where at times the testimony of an applicant alone is sufficient for approval. As a result, a range of bad actors, who use manufactured histories, biographies and other false statements, as well as produce and submit fictitious supporting documentation, have exploited this program,” reads one of the portions of what Chaffetz and Goodlatte say is from the internal document.

{mosads}The leaked memo comes as the Obama administration wants the U.S. to increase the number of refugees admitted from around the world next year to 110,000. Secretary of State John Kerry informed Congress last week that the administration plans increase refugee admission in 2017 from the 13,000 admitted this year.

Concerns about fraud in the refugee application process, which the Obama administration says takes months to properly scrutinize candidates, rose sharply after the terrorist attacks in Paris last year. 

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has called for accepting 65,000 Syrian refugees next year. Donald Trump has repeatedly called for a halt to the refugee program.

Trump’s eldest son and adviser, Donald Jr., came under fire this week for a Twitter post comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of Skittles candy with a handful that “would kill you.” The candidate has also questioned whether Syrian refugees would be like a “Trojan horse.”

Chaffetz and Goodlatte asked whether the internal ICE memo was distributed to top-level administration officials like Kerry.

“The President’s decision to increase overall refugee resettlement — and specifically that of Syrian refugees — ignores warnings from his own national security officials that Syrians cannot be adequately vetted to ensure terrorists are not admitted,” they wrote in the letter.