Posted on 12/11/2015 4:32:34 PM PST by markomalley
A senior Department of Homeland Security official was unable to tell Congress the number of Syrian refugees who have entered the United States in the last year and the number of Americans who have travelled to Syria and returned, in testimony on Capitol Hill that angered many lawmakers.
Kelli Ann Burriesci, a deputy assistant secretary in the department’s office of policy, could not provide statistics about immigration when the House’s national security subcommittee grilled her about potential flaws in the visa waiver program.
While lawmakers had requested that its secretary, Jeh Johnson, testify before the committee, the agency sent Burriesci instead, saying that she is the resident expert on these issues.
However, Burriesci struggled to answer questions, prompting anger from lawmakers and concerns that the department is failing to track potentially dangerous immigrants.
“How many Syrian refugees have entered the U.S. in the last year” Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) asked Burriesci.
“Sorry, I didn’t bring any of the refugee numbers with me,” she responded.
Jordon then asked: “Do you know how many Americans have traveled to Syria in the last year?”
“I don’t have that number on me either,” the official responded.
“So you wouldn’t know how many Americans have traveled there and returned?” Jordan pressed.
“I don’t have that number on me,” Burriesci stated.
When asked by Jordan, “How many visa waiver program overstays are there currently in the U.S.,” Burriesci again responded that she does not “have information” on that subject.
The lack of answers led to frustration.
“We’re talking about the refugee issue and the Visa Waiver Program issue and you can’t give us numbers on either program?” Jordan asked.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R., N.C.) noted that the last time Congress was provided with accurate information about the number of people still living in the United States with expired visas was in 1994.
“If we’re looking at visa overstays, and sitting here debating a visa waiver program, and yet, the very instance of visa overstays and the potential terrorist threat that accompanies that, you’re tracking that, yet the last information Congress got was 1994,” Meadows said. “Do you not see a problem with that?”
“I think you should receive the data as soon as it is available,” Burriesci responded.
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.), the subcommittee’s chairman, expressed frustration mid-way through the hearing and asked Burriesci if there is someone she can call to get help.
“You can’t give us the number of people on expired visas? You have staff? Can they just call DHS so we get it before the hearing is over?” DeSantis asked. “This should not be that difficult.”
Burriesci did not respond to that question and continued to struggle.
“What percentage of the people leaving the [United States] are you able to capture?” Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) asked.
“I … I may have that with me but I have to look,” Burriesci said while shuffling through papers. “I’m sorry. I do not have that statistic.”
“You’re supposed to be the expert on this,” Chaffetz responded. “This should be right off the top of your head. You’re coming before Congress. … These are basic questions about the functionality here.”
DeSantis ultimately noted that Burriesci’s testimony was troubling.
“This is not inspiring a lot of confidence and I think a lot of questions have been raised instead of answered,” he said.
In statement released after the hearing ended, DeSantis expressed his frustration at the department’s inability to provide Congress with answers about potential flaws in the visa waiver program.
“Islamic jihadists are on the march and 13 people were massacred in San Bernardino, yet DHS seems clueless about what is going on with potential threats to our security,” the lawmaker said. “Congress needs to plug holes in immigration programs ranging from the visa waiver program to the refugee program. The testimony by DHS today gave Americans serious cause for concern about whether our government has a handle on the threats we face.”
Government workers taking payment and not doing the job for which they were hired. They are an oligarchy, free from punishment and no matter how incompetent and uncaring will get their benefits, paid vacations, and retirement. The worse they are, the higher up the ladder in government work they go.
I think these people eat snacks and goof off all day like their phony azzed POTUS.
Sergeant at Arms? Please detain this woman until she has her department deliver an accurate answer to each of the questions she has failed to answer today, no matter how long it takes.
She is to subsist on bread and water until that time and is allowed a weekly 10 minute shower.
WOW!Just wait until Trump gets a hold of this fiasco.
Those bazzturds in Obama’s District of Corruption are all totally clueless. Or maybe just liars.
Inability to provide Congress with answers or unwillingness? This looks like a rope a dope defense with every answer having to be extracted under duress, if then.
Another 0bama admin employee who looks and sounds like a
Starbucks barista.
She might not even know. I think they are surreptitiously packing in as many as they can and keep numbers off the books or scattered just like the people they bring in.
This woman was just Obola’s designated hitter for these hearings. If this country survives the net 13 months, President Trump or Cruz will need to bring in some “housecleaners” in every single agency of government. My belief that this was a conscious effort to obfuscate and dissemble.
It should come to that, perhaps.
With this stunning display of incompetence, the GOP has had enough and will now stop funding Obama’s amnesty and refugee programs.
/s
More kabuki.
Repubs really do not mind this sh1t going on.
Clinton got impeached for a hell of a lot less.
Just another case of Obama telling congress and half the American people to F***Off. I’ve never seen an administration like this. Even Nixon was less contemptuous of congress than this. And Hillary will be worse. Dictatorship in our future.
This is beyond incompetence. This is malfeasance.
L
I have the same dream.
L
Just another clueless Obama hack.
This woman is worthless! Here’s her testimony in front of Rep. Jordan.
https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/terrorism-and-the-visa-waiver-program/
WTH??? Seriously? This is the EXPERT for DHS and she has no pertinent information “on her”???
In another world, with all the news here and abroad about refugees, one would think that DHS would be working around the clock to get correct and current numbers on who is here. Just so they know. But THEN when you’re going to appear before CONGRESS, you make sure to bring everything. EVERYTHING.
Then...we learn we’ve had no accurate update on these figures since 1994. 1994!?!? You mean that after 9/11 Bush didn’t demand this be updated?
What do they DO in Washington, M-F, 8-4???
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