Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer’s office declined Monday to back away from his Friday support for a plan to import at least 100,000 Syrians into the United States.
Beyer’s office reiterated his long-standing support for the plan in a Friday letter to a constituent, just hours before several jihadis — including at least two recent migrants and several Muslims who have lived in Europe for many years — murdered more than 120 people in Paris, France.
In the letter obtained by Breitbart News, Beyer writes:
The U.S. should do all it can to address the Syrian refugee crisis. Along with my colleagues, I called on President Obama to take steps to increase the number of Syrian refugees resettling in the United States and to match Refugee Council USA’s recommendation that the United States resettle a minimum of 200,000 refugees by the end of 2016, including 100,000 Syrian refugees.
Beyer also informed his constituent that he has also asked for the State Department and Homeland Security to boost the number of refugees.
I have also called on Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to boost the number of refugees processed by expanding the Priority Three (P-3) family reunification program. Additionally, we asked that the Administration coordinate security checks to prevent them from expiring while a refugee is still being processed and inform families if only a few members, but not all, have been cleared. These actions, which do not require additional resources, can improve opportunities for Syrians refugees to reunite with family in the United States.
At least one of the terrorists who participated in the deadly Friday terrorist attack pretended to be a refugee to Europe. His Syrian passport was found at the scene of one of the Paris attacks, raising concerns that members of ISIS are using the refugee crisis to infiltrate Europe. The killer was registered on the Greek island of Leros, which is in close proximity to a central entry point for refugees into Europe.