In the wake of the horrific terror attacks in Paris, Beirut and Mali, I’ve heard from many of you about your questions, concerns and fears, particularly about how we can make sure that people who pose a potential threat aren’t coming into the United States. As your U.S. Senator and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I want to address those concerns here. My responsibility, first and foremost, is to keep our country and the people of Connecticut safe. It is my number one priority. I firmly believe that we can protect Americans from the threat of terrorism without shutting our doors to those who have been the victims of terror. Here are answers to some of the most common questions I’ve received, but if you have others please don’t hesitate to call or email me.


What steps are you taking to keep Connecticut safe?

There three major policies I’m supporting that I believe will help ensure the safety of Connecticut families.

• Tighten the Visa Waiver Program: After meeting with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, it’s clear to me that the best way to help ensure that those who wish to harm us do not enter the country is to tighten the visa waiver program, which allows people from 38 countries to enter the United States without a visa for up to 90 days. These visitors are not subject to the same rigorous methodology we use to screen other groups like refugees, but they represent a much larger percentage of foreign visitors to the United States – roughly 20 million people each year. Changes to this program would increase scrutiny over travelers from these countries so that terrorists attempting to enter the country can be detected and detained.

• Ensure that Terrorists Cannot Legally Buy Guns in America: Over the last decade, more than 2,000 suspects on the FBI’s terrorist watch list legally bought guns in the United States. This should not be possible. I’m supporting legislation to close this loophole and ensure that those who are suspected of terrorism cannot purchase guns in our country.

• Improve Coordination with International Law Enforcement: We also need to increase our information sharing with our allies, including EU countries, to ensure that we are populating our no-fly and terror watch lists with the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. That’s why I introduced the bipartisan Judicial Redress Act, which is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice. As we confront ongoing national security threats, we must cement the vital U.S.-EU law enforcement efforts and pass the Judicial Redress Act into law.


How do people come to the United States?

Millions of people from around the world travel to the U.S. every year for tourism, to attend business meetings or conferences, to study at U.S. schools and universities, or engage in temporary, specialized work. Some people are immigrating to the United States under the sponsorship of their U.S. citizen relatives or a U.S.-based employer. People entering as refugees have provided credible evidence they are fleeing persecution in their home countries, and are not simply coming to the United States because of difficult economic circumstances. Refugee applicants are subject to the most rigorous vetting and security screening processes of any category of traveler entering the United States.


How are these various groups screened?

• Business and Tourist Travelers (Visa Waiver Program countries): Travelers holding passports from one of the 38 countries participating in the Department of Homeland Security’s Visa Waiver Program can travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes only. These travelers enter the U.S. under a streamlined screening procedure without applying for a visa, but their passport details are checked for potential security concerns against U.S. law enforcement and counter-terrorism databases. Approximately 20 million travelers enter the U.S. through the Visa Waiver Program each year.

• Business and Tourist Travelers (non-Visa Waiver Program countries): This is the largest category of travelers to the United States. Travelers from non-Visa Waiver Program countries must apply for a visa at a U.S. Embassy overseas, which includes an in-person interview and submission of photographs and fingerprints (biometric data). The traveler’s personal details and biometric data are screened against a number of U.S. law enforcement and counter-terrorism databases to check for potential criminal or security concerns.

• Students and Temporary Workers (all countries): Travelers from all countries must apply for a visa at a U.S. Embassy overseas, which includes an in-person interview and submission of a photograph and fingerprints (biometric data). The traveler’s personal details and biometric data are screened against a number of U.S. law enforcement and counter-terrorism databases, to check for potential criminal or security concerns.

• Refugees (all countries): Refugees are subject to the highest level of security checks of any traveler to the United States. Every refugee goes through a thorough, multi-step vetting process that usually takes 18-24 months. It is the most difficult way for people to enter our country. This process includes multiple security checks from U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Department of State, the Department of Defense and other intelligence agencies. Refugees submit extensive biographic and biometric data, such as fingerprints and photos, and are subject to multiple interviews and verifications to ensure that they truly qualify as refugees and do not pose a threat to the United States. Mindful of the particular conditions of the Syria crisis, Syrian refugees go through yet additional forms of screening if they have successfully completed prior rounds of law enforcement and counter-terrorism vetting.


Who can be admitted as a refugee?

• The United States prioritizes the most vulnerable refugees for resettlement. This includes children, female-headed households, the elderly, people with severe medical conditions and victims of torture.
• 98% of Syrian refugees admitted to the U.S. since the start of the conflict belong to these categories.
• People leaving their countries because of difficult economic conditions do not qualify as refugees.


How does the refugee screening process work?

• First, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees registers those who apply overseas, and conducts initial interviews, takes biometric data like fingerprints, photos, and in many cases iris scans, and collects extensive biographic information.
• The U.S. government conducts its own rigorous screening process, including several layers of additional biographical and background screening, in-person interviews, verification of biometric data, health checks and background checks across a number of national agencies including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, the National Counterterrorism Center and other U.S. intelligence agencies.
• The Department of State uses an additional layer of security review for certain refugees which includes extra screening for any potential national security risks. Mindful of the particular conditions of the Syria crisis, all Syrian refugees go through this additional form of screening if they have successfully completed initial forms of multi-agency screening.
• All of these checks help to confirm a refugee’s identity, check for any criminal activity, rule out ties to terrorist groups, and gather information needed to determine if a person potentially poses a threat.
• A refugee cannot be approved until all of these checks are completed and cleared.
• Want to know more? Here is a step-by-step summary of the refugee screening process from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.


How are other countries doing their part to address the Syrian refugee crisis?

• Of the more of the 12 million Syrians who have been displaced by civil war, upwards of 4.2 million have registered as refugees with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most of these 4.2 million have been displaced to neighboring countries - 2.18 million in Turkey, 1.07 million in Lebanon and 633,000 in Jordan. To date the U.S. has taken in only 1,682 Syrian refugees, which is .04% of all the refugees. Other countries are taking in refugees as well. Currently 38,500 refugees have been resettled in Germany, 36,300 in Canada, 9,000 in Norway and 7,380 in Brazil.


How many refugees in total will be resettled in Connecticut?

• Connecticut accepts a very small percentage of refugees from around the world admitted to the United States. In fiscal year 2015, Connecticut resettled just 519 out of the 69,933 refugees who came to the United States – less than 1 %. These refugees came from countries around the world, including Afghanistan, Syria, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, and Sudan.