Free Republic

The pace of Syrian refugees entering the U.S. has surged in recent weeks, government figures show, putting the Obama administration on track to meet its target of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees before the end of September -– and reviving Republican concerns about the security implications. State Department reports show that 2,340 Syrian refugees arrived last month in the United States. That's more than what occurred during the entire seven months after President Obama directed his team to prepare for 10,000 admissions from the war-torn country. Total admissions for the current budget year, which ends Sept. 30, now come to about...

The main Western-backed Arab rebel group in Syria appears on the verge of collapse because of low morale, desertions, and distrust of its leaders by the rank and file, threatening U.S. efforts to put together a ground force capable of defeating the Islamic State and negotiating an end to the Syrian civil war. "After five years of this war, the people are just tired ... and so are our fighters," said Jaseen Salabeh, a volunteer in the Free Syrian Army, which was formed in September 2011 by defectors from the army of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Free Syrian Army,...

A Senate committee on Thursday approved a resolution that critics described as an "unprecedented" move granting immigrants easier access to the United States. The amendment, offered by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) and first reported on by the Washington Free Beacon, affirms the Senate's belief "that the United States must not bar individuals from entering into the United States based on their religion, as such action would be contrary to the fundamental principles on which this Nation was founded." The language was offered in response to recent comments from a presidential candidate who called on Muslims to be barred from...

The California massacre on Wednesday was carried out by a devout Muslim with an “IED factory” in his garage, but President Obama still thinks an Islamic terrorism designation is premature. Details that have emerged since Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife Tashfeen Malik, 27, killed 14 at a social services center in San Bernardino indicate the couple were Islamic radicals with a death wish. The two, who originally met online, had recently traveled to Saudi Arabia. Law enforcement sources told CNN since the attack that Farook was in touch with terrorism suspects being investigated by the FBI. Farook,...

They connect via online services — especially Twitter — and in everyday life. Their ages range from 15 to 47, and their roles range from cheering attacks to plotting violence. And curbing their growth is a dynamic challenge without a simple solution: There are currently 900 active investigations into ISIS sympathizers in every American state. Those are some of the findings of a new study that glimpses life "inside the bubble of American ISIS sympathizers, a diverse and diffuse scene that the FBI estimates include hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals." Titled "ISIS in America: From Retweets to Raqqa," the...

President Obama used his weekly address to appeal to families counting their blessings on Thanksgiving, reminding Americans that the holiday isn’t only about turkey but a tribute to the deep immigration history that led to the nation’s founding. In 1620, a small band of pilgrims came to this continent, refugees who had fled persecution and violence in their native land, Obama says. Nearly 400 years later, we remember their part in the American story and we honor the men and women who helped them in their time of need. The Obama administration said Wednesday that states can't legally block the...

Federal and local law enforcement agencies have made dozens of arrests of men and women suspected of ISIS involvement. Analysis shows that they include refugees who entered the United States as refugees. Yet Presidents Obama insists says that 'slamming the door' on Syrian refugees fleeing ISIS would be a betrayal of American values.

Under federal law, the executive branch is expressly required to take religion into account in determining who is granted asylum. Under the provision governing asylum (section 1158 of Title 8, U.S. Code), an alien applying for admission must establish that ... religion... was or will be at least one central reason for persecuting the applicant. Moreover, to qualify for asylum in the United States, the applicant must be a 'refugee' as defined by federal law. That definition (set forth in Section 1101(a)(42)(A) of Title , U.S. Code) also requires the executive branch to take account of the alien's religion: The...

Republican senators Ted Cruz and Jeff Sessions rebuked the Obama administration Tuesday for failing to share with Congress the immigration history of 72 people with terrorist associations living in the U.S. The senators bashed Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John Kerry for not providing the individuals' personal and family immigration information, which was requested Aug. 12 and expected by Sept. 4. "More than three months later the administration has not provided immigration details on a single one of the 72. It is quite telling that this administration — which seems to have...

The former chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence says President Obama has no coherent strategy to defeat ISIS, and he alleges one of Obama’s top advisers “lied to the American people” to perpetuate a misguided program allowing tens of thousands of refugees into the U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes appeared on multiples Sunday morning news shows. When asked whether the news that one and possibly two of the Paris terrorists came to Europe as refugees would alter the Obama administration’s plan to accept tens of thousands of refugees, Rhodes said there would be no re-evaluation....

The far-right wing in both America and Europe have seized on the Paris terror attacks as an excuse to turn away the thousands of desperate refugees who are fleeing the terror and violence of ISIS. Thirteen American governors (all Republican) have announced they will refuse to accept Syrian refugees in their states, demonstrating a remarkable ignorance of Constitutional law. As ThinkProgress noted, "the Supreme Court explained in Hines v. Davidowitz, "the supremacy of the national power in the general field of foreign affairs, including power over immigration, naturalization and deportation, is made clear by the Constitution." States do not get...

"Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values," [Obama] said.Six Republican governors have announced that Syrian refugees won't be allowed to resettle in their states in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks in Paris. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley issued statements Sunday saying that they wanted to prioritize the safety of the residents in their states. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a GOP presidential candidate; Arkansas Gov. Gov. Asa Hutchinson; and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence joined them on Monday. "Michigan is a welcoming state and we are...

President Obama wants more Syrian Muslim refugees in the West. Speaking in Turkey on Monday, Obama explained that the West needed to open its heart to Muslim refugees, who after all were fleeing from terrorism in the Middle East to the safe and warm arms of the West. Meanwhile, Obama continued to maintain that Islamic radicalism presents no threat to the world.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is standing by his support for bringing Syrian refugees into the United States of America, even after the Paris murder-rampage by some of the many Muslims migrating into Europe. In September, Rubio told CNN that “we would be potentially open to the relocation of some of these [refugee] individuals at some point in time to the United States.” On Saturday, Breitbart asked Rubio’s campaign if he still stands by this statement. In response, Rubio’s spokesman Alex Conant referred Breitbart News to two other previous interviews Rubio has done on the matter—essentially confirming that Rubio still supports,...

A top White House adviser said Sunday that President Obama still plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees even as Republicans insisted that it's all but impossible to stop terrorists from hiding among the migrants. "We're still planning to take in Syrian refugees," Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said on "Fox News Sunday." One of the terrorists in Friday's deadly attacks on Paris reportedly may have used a Syrian passport to enter Europe with a flood of refugees, but Mr. Rhodes expressed confidence in the background-check system. "We have very robust vetting procedures for those refugees. It involves our intelligence...