Syria refugee intake reveals 22 terror cases

[barryqwalsh]

Canberra’s independent security checks have found at least 22 “potential national security concerns” among refugee applicants since the special intake of Syrian refugees was announced in September last year.

• DENNIS SHANAHAN
• The Australian October 8, 2016
• 167 Comments

Up to 22 people trying to join Australia’s extra refugee intake of 12,000 Syrians face rejection because of fears they are linked to terrorist organisations, including Islamic State, which used refugees as “camouflage” to enter Europe and carry out the Paris attacks last year.

The Weekend Australian can reveal the government’s independent security checks, involving biometric data and shared intelligence reports, have found at least 22 “potential national security concerns” among refugee applicants since the special intake of Syrian refugees was announced in September last year.

All those applying for Syrian refugee status to Australia in the Middle East have to undergo health, character and security checks before being accepted.

The 22 security concerns include those with links or suspected links to terrorist groups including Islamic State, which terrorised and plundered large areas of Syria and Iraq and claims to have sent 4000 trained terrorist fighters into “sleeper cells” around the world.

In the past few weeks, European security chiefs have disclosed that seven of the nine attackers in the Paris shootings and bombings last November, who killed 130 people and injured 368, passed into Europe through Hungary in last year’s uncontrolled mass migration.

• Rejecting ‘bad apples’

In September last year, Tony Abbott announced that in response to the refugee crisis caused by the fighting in Syria and predations of Islamic State, Australia would take an extra 12,000 refugees over and above the 17,500 annual humanitarian intake.

The then prime minister promised to help Christians and other persecuted minorities who could never return to Syria and said it would be completed “as quickly as possible”.

Since then, the government has been heavily criticised for taking too long in processing the promised Syrian refugees and for not following Canada’s lead of accepting 26,000 refugees cleared by the UN and flying them out in a matter of weeks.

In February, five months after the announcement, Australia had resettled only 26 Syrians under the extra program.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was criticised by the UN Human Rights Commissioner, refugee advocacy groups and the ALP for taking too long.

The UNHCR said families sheltering in nations such as Lebanon and Jordan, where Australia was processing refugee applications, were struggling to find shelter, food, education and work, prompting them to risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean.

Labor’s immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, said Mr Dutton needed to explain why there was such “a pitifully small number” who had been brought to Australia.

Refugee Council of Australia chief executive Paul Power said many people were desperate and “the fact Australia’s offer is happening so slowly is certainly not helping an incredibly difficult situation”.

In response, Mr Dutton said the government would not take shortcuts on security checks and it was vital they were carried out before the granting of a visa: “The government’s prime responsibility is to protect the Australian community; Australians would understand that these checks must be carried out in the current global security environment.

“As a government, we made it clear at the outset this special intake would take time to fulfil, that processing would be thorough, that there would be no shortcuts.”

Mr Dutton said he told Australian staff in Amman, Jordan, and in Beirut, Lebanon, “that we’re not going to sacrifice anything in terms of security checks that need to be undertaken”.

“ So, if we’re in doubt about a particular person’s identity or we think that maybe their documents aren’t legitimate, then we’re moving on to the next application,” he said.

When he was in New York for the UN’s special conference on refugees and security two weeks ago, Mr Dutton said Australia had now issued visas to more than half the intended 12,000 extra Syrian and Iraqi refugees and resettled a quarter in Australia.

“As of 2 September, 6678 visas have been issued and 3532 of these people have settled in Australia,” he said.

“Another 6293 people have been interviewed and assessed as meeting threshold requirements for a visa. These people are awaiting the outcome of health, character and security checks.”

After the Paris bombings and shootings last year, Mr Dutton said the government would continue with rigorous security checks on refugee applicants from the Islamic State strongholds of Syria and Iraq.



Rejecting ‘bad apples’: Read Dennis Shanahan’s full report

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...s/news-story/0d2c7eeb093f0e5af47a48686235f3e3

 

[barryqwalsh]

Maybe Donald Trump Jr. had a point?

 

[ABikerSailor]

I guess Australia is doing a good job of vetting their refugees.

 

[dfens]

1) America bombs the Middle East to chaos
2) Israel doesn't take the refugees
3) White European countries and Australia take the refugees
4) The white race in those countries decline from multiculturalism

1) America bombs the Middle East to chaos, Europe and white countries support it
2) Muslims Arabs hate it and resort to terrorism
3) White countries respond by hating Muslims and protecting Israel


Game, set, match.