Unlike Europe, US slow to open its doors to welcome refugees

TERRORISM FEARS PROMPT CAUTION

Migrants from Syria sit outside of a refugee centre in Hamm, Germany, Sept 7, 2015.

Previous efforts to increase the flow of Syrian refugees have met strong headwinds.

In May, 14 US Senate Democrats wrote a letter urging the Obama administration to allow at least 65,000 Syrian refugees to settle in the United States. The following month, Republican Representative Michael McCaul objected to the administration's plans to allow nearly 2,000 this year.

"While we have a proud history of welcoming refugees, the Syrian conflict is a unique case requiring heightened vigilanceand scrutiny," McCaul, whose Homeland Security Committee has held hearings on the issue, wrote in a letter to Obama.

"It represents the single largest convergence of Islamist terrorists in history," including Islamic State, al-Qaida and Hezbollah, he continued, adding that US security officials did not have the information they need for effective vetting.

Republican Representative Peter King of New York echoed that on Monday, saying there was a clear consensus at the hearingsthat terrorism was a concern.

"We have to have a very, very thorough vetting process," King said on CNN.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is responsible forselecting refugees deemed eligible for resettlement andspokeswoman Melissa Fleming said it has submitted more than 16,300 Syrian refugees for resettlement in the United States.

US consular and security officials, including from the Department of Homeland Security, then vet the applicants overseas before allowing them to board a US-bound plane.

Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy at the US.

Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in an interview that thesecurity worries over Syrians were misplaced, given the intense background checks on refugees.

But more resources would have to be allocated for faster vetting. For example, Appleby said, the United States does not process Syrian refugees from Europe but from Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East, where most of the refugees are.

DHS and other government officials were not available to discuss the issue on Monday's Labor Day federal holiday.

Pope Francis is likely to call on the United States to live up to its values as a nation that provides safe haven during his US visit this month, Appleby said.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops has long advocated for more Syrians to be allowed in and believes the country could absorb 100,000.

"It is do-able. It's certainly do-able from our end in termsof resettling them in the United States," Appleby said, pointing to the US absorption of Vietnamese refugees during the Vietnam War. "It's just a matter of political will."