The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting terrorism investigations of 300 individuals that were admitted into the United States under the guise of refugees. The Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly issued a statement on Monday in which he said that the fact remains that the United States is not immune to terrorist threats and that the enemies of the U.S. often use the freedoms and generosity that exist in the country to sabotage the American citizens.
Kelly emphasized that the U.S. cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using the immigration system to take American lives. The number of investigations related to counterterrorism investigations is always increasing, the recent investigations are part of 1,000 counterterrorism focused mainly on ISIS or those people who are inspired by the terrorist group.
A DHS senior official made a statement on Monday saying that the FBI is currently looking and investigating active terrorism-related investigations into approximately 300 people who were admitted to the United States as refugees.
This comes after President Donald Trump just signed the new executive order that significantly reduces the number of refugees who will be allowed to enter the United States annually from 110,000 to 50,000.
The executive order bars immigration from six countries Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. all of which were found to be hot spots for terrorism by the Obama administration. The January order, which was previously blocked by the courts, had also imposed the restriction on Iraq — but lawmakers had argued that banning Iraq would hinder the fight against ISIS terror group.
The order also imposes a temporary halt in refugees coming into the nation for 120 days, as new, more extreme, vetting procedures are set in place.
The Attorney General Jeff Sessions made a statement on Monday in which he said that the country cannot compromise on national security by allowing visitors entry when their own governments are not able to provide the information needed to vet them.
President Trump pledged during the campaign period that he would ensure the country is safe from terror groups that seek to gain entry to the U.S. through the various immigration program.
