Speech #1140057164

European response plans should include specifics about strengthening security screening throughout the European region. During the conflict in Kosovo. I travelled to Stenkovec refugee camp in Macedonia and was at the McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey to welcome some of the 4.400 people brought from there to the United States. A refugeeAgron Abdullahuwas apprehended and sent to jail in 2008 for supplying guns and ammunition to the "Fort Dix 5"-a group of terrorists who were also sent to prison for plotting to kill American soldiers at the Fort Dix military installation. Given Secretary Kerrys announcement in September that the United States intends to resettle at least 85.000 refugees in fiscal year 2016. including at least 10.000 Syrians. and at least 100.000 refugees in fiscal year 2017. the United States and Europe must be on high alert to weed out terrorists from real refugees. Because religious and ethnic minorities often have additional risks and vulnerabilities even as refugees. they should be prioritized for resettlement. Tuesdays hearing examined the "who" is arriving. the "why" they are coming to Europe. and the "what" has been done and should be done in response. European governments. entities like the OSCE and the EU. and civil society all have critical roles to play. The United States has been the leading donor to the humanitarian crisis inside Syria and refugee crisis in the region. We also have the largest refugee admissions program in the world. However. according to Tuesdays testimony from Shelly Pitterman. Regional Representative for the UN High Commission for Refugees. "The current interagency Syrian Regional Refugee and Resilience (3RP) plan for 2015 is only 41 percent funded. which has meant cuts in food aid for thousands of refugees." Globally. he warned. "The humanitarian system is financially broke. We are no longer able to meet even the absolute minimum requirements of core protection and lifesaving assistance to preserve the human dignity of the people we care for. The current funding level for the 33 UN appeals to provide humanitarian assistance to 82 million people around the world is only 42 percent. UNHCR expects to receive just 47 percent of the funding we need this year." At the hearing. Sean Callahan. Chief Operating Officer of Catholic Relief Services. said. "As global leaders in the international humanitarian and refugee response. the U.S. and Europe must heed Pope Francis call and find new ways to alleviate the suffering and protect the vulnerable." I could not agree more. In the 20th and 21th centuries. the United States and Europe have come together to address the great challenges of our time and this is an opportunity to do so again.