Senate Republicans are blasting a "disturbing" Obama administration plan for an "interview surge" of thousands of Syrian refugees to expedite their entry into the United States.
The GOP lawmakers reveal
in a letter sent Friday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John Kerry that the Senate Judiciary Committee has learned the administration is sending between 200-300 officials to Jordan for at least 45 days to interview thousands of candidates for the U.S. refugee resettlement program.
The senators charge the plan, referred to as the "MARKA surge," is being used to expedite the pace of refugee vetting that usually takes two years to complete.
"The Administration’s refusal to suspend or even slow the pace of such refugee processing is particularly disturbing when reports abound of [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] terrorists intentionally inserting themselves into the Syrian refugee stream," the senators write.
The senators has forwarded a list of 10 demands about the interview plan - including how many refugees will be processed, and how much it'll ll cost.
The administration's plan to resettle thousands of Syrian refugees
has triggered a fierce backlash from Republican lawmakers.
The letter was signed by GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, Ted Cruz of Texas, Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, both of Utah, David Perdue of Georgia, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and David Vitter of Louisiana.
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