Security vetting for Syrian and Iraqi refugees

Vetting can take up to two years for Iraqis. For Syrians, vetting can take about three years.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees does the first round of security checks on the refugee while he or she is in a camp, according to international treaties the United States has signed.

The high commissioner refers those who pass the checks and say they want to live in America to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

Refugees who pass USRAP background and proof of identity checks are then interviewed by a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer overseas. The refugee must prove he deserves special humanitarian concern by documenting persecution or fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. He is questioned about his life in Syria or Iraq, his work, his friends.

The National Counterterrorism Center, the Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Defense, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department each separately interview the refugee. They use biometrics to confirm identity. They use biographical information harvested through interviews to contact and debrief third-party acquaintances who know the refugee, or could possibly know him, to assess any hint of criminal behavior or “material support to terrorists.” The latter test is so stringent, a Syrian refugee who owned a small food stand in his neighborhood was banned from America because, when his block was under militia control, some of the fighters may have bought falafel sandwiches.

Syrian refugees undergo an additional fraud detection investigation by a Department of Homeland Security task force.

Medical evaluations are conducted for contagious diseases.