Re: The immigration and refugee fiasco. And it was a fiasco.
The issue seems to be reconciling a portion of the code passed in 1952 - giving the president the power to restrict entry, if he sees something as a threat, with a new part passed in 1968, restricting restrictions based on country of origin, and another part dealing with Obama's signature of the 2015 act, and its usage for identified countries that are on the bottom of the barrel in terms of passport portability, being involved in war, and what not. Justin Amash has shared a pretty good write up, IMO.
Personally, I believe the real problem is the complexity of all the laws. I also figure since we as a country got involved in interfering with the mid-east, we do bear a measure of responsibility for the outcome.
There are other complexities as well to the issue itself. For example Saudi Arabia is not on the list of nasties, yet there was that memo with their name all over it, in regard to what happened on 9/11, that everyone seems to have forgotten about. Probably the short answer for them not being on the list is we make a lot of money off of them. Dunno. Stop putting gas in your car if it bothers you that much.
Another thing to ask is why do we care about Syria so much anyway. Venezuela seems to have lots of oil and lots of conflict but we're not sending soldiers/drones over there. I don't recall of sending a whole lot of air support / people to Africa to stop all the genocide and what not over there. Personally, I suspect the whole Syrian conflict has something to do with a pipeline project and whether Europe gets all that oil or Russia. What do I know though, just trying to make sense from what I can scrape from the news.
Edit: Recently I reviewed the information at downsizedc.org on this subject and I think they make a compelling argument that immigration is basically unconstitutional. Quoting from their web site: "The Constitution limits federal government powers to just those specifically listed (doctrine of enumerated powers). There’s no specific constitutional power to control or limit immigration. The listed power is naturalization (who becomes a citizen). Thus, the Trump travel ban and the legislation that authorized it are both illegal under the Constitution." See here: https://downsizedc.org/blog/gut-trumps-travel-ban
Edit: Additional information on the process itself: Congressman Barton is Well Aware that We Are Already Conducting 18-24 Month Long Extreme Refugee Vetting but Believes His Constituents are Gullible Single Channel Watchers Who Don't Know Any Better. Ask Him How HE Proposes to Make the Following Procedures (Short of Waterboarding) More Extreme:
1. Registration with the United Nations.
2. Interview with the United Nations.
3. Refugee status granted by the United Nations.
4. Referral for resettlement in the United States.
The United Nations decides if the person fits the definition of a refugee and whether to refer the person to the United States or to another country for resettlement. Only the most vulnerable are referred, accounting for less than than 1 percent of refugees worldwide. Some people spend years waiting in refugee camps.
5. Interview with State Department contractors.
6. First background check.
7. Higher-level background check for some.
8. Another background check.
The refugee’s name is run through law enforcement and intelligence databases for terrorist or criminal history. Some go through a higher-level clearance before they can continue. A third background check was introduced in 2008 for Iraqis but has since been expanded to all refugees ages 14 to 65.
9. First fingerprint screening; photo taken.
10. Second fingerprint screening.
11. Third fingerprint screening.
The refugee’s fingerprints are screened against F.B.I. and Homeland Security databases, which contain watch list information and past immigration encounters, including if the refugee previously applied for a visa at a United States embassy. Fingerprints are also checked against those collected by the Defense Department during operations in Iraq.
12. Case reviewed at United States immigration headquarters. 13. Some cases referred for additional review. Syrian applicants must undergo these two additional steps. Each is reviewed by a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services refugee specialist. Cases with “national security indicators” are given to the Homeland Security Department’s fraud detection unit.
14. Extensive, in-person interview with Homeland Security officer.
Most of the interviews with Syrians have been done in Jordan and Turkey.
15. Homeland Security approval is required.
16. Screening for contagious diseases.
17. Cultural orientation class.
18. Matched with an American resettlement agency.
19. Multi-agency security check before leaving for the United States.
Because of the long amount of time between the initial screening and departure, officials conduct a final check before the refugee leaves for the United States.
20. Final security check at an American airport.
Sources: State Department; Department of Homeland Security; Center for American Progress; U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants; Refugee Council USA