GOP Rep. Says Obama’s Syrian Refugee ‘Bait and Switch’ Endangers Americans

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) says the Obama administration employed “bait and switch tactics” to deceive the American people in order to admit unvetted refugees from terrorist hot-spots to the U.S.

“President Obama has once again misled the American people and Members of Congress in order to get his way,” Zinke says in response to multiple reports that the Obama administration has implemented a “surge operation” to reduce refugee processing to just three months — rather than the 18-24 months the White House and Senate Democrats touted to Congress and the news media.

“This will inevitably put our nation and our citizens at risk for future terrorist attacks,” he added.

According to the Associated Press, the first group of Syrian refugees processed under the “surge” effort are already in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Obama administration has said it plans to admit at least 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S. despite concerns voiced by top officials and Republicans that there are vulnerabilities in the vetting process.

“When it was discovered that ISIS had infiltrated the refugee population – after they promised they would – and attacked Paris, the House passed with a veto-proof majority my bill, the American SAFE Act, which is a prudent bill to pause and strengthen the refugee screening process,” Zinke added in a statement. “Senate Democrats blocked this bill from even being debated.”

Zinke noted that terrorists have posed as refugees to gain access to the West and carry out terror attacks.

“While the majority of individuals need assistance, it only takes a few to create mass casualties. That is exactly why I believe the U.S. should focus humanitarian efforts in the region where folks are closer to home, and why the U.S. needs a real strategy to finally defeat and destroy ISIS,” he said.

“It is unfathomable to most Americans how any sort of expedited screening benefits our national security,” Zinke added. “President Obama must immediately stop his surge operation and properly screen these individuals before we experience a Paris or Brussels-style attack.”