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<p>WASHINGTON &#8212; U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta is urging Gov. Tom Wolf to reconsider plans to welcome refugees fleeing Syria into Pennsylvania in light of the recent terror attacks in Paris.</p><p>In a letter Barletta sent to Wolf on Monday, he stated that as a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and also its Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, &#8220;I implore you to suspend cooperation until a dependable system is in place to check the background of those seeking refugee status.&#8221;</p><p>President Barack Obama&#8217;s administration has pledged to accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next 12 months. The U.S. State Department said the refugees would be spread across the country.</p><p>Republican presidential candidates have criticized the plan and, in light of the recent Paris attack, Congressional support is also rapidly waning.</p><p>Barletta, in his letter, cited warnings of national security experts that the vetting process for the refugees is inadequate and flawed.</p><p>Historically, Barletta, R-Hazleton, has consistently supported legislation limiting the influx of Syrian refugees, including the Resettlement Accountability National Security Act, which would place a moratorium on the entire refugee program.</p><p><strong>Governor response </strong></p><p>Wolf, in a press release, responded that while details are still emerging regarding the individuals responsible for the attacks in Paris, and that responsible must be brought to justice, &#8220;we must not lose sight of the fact that families leaving Syria are trying to escape the same violence and unimaginable terror that took place in Paris and Beirut.&#8221;</p><p>Wold noted that the federal government coordinates with local charitable organizations in Pennsylvania and other states to assist the settlement of families fleeing the humanitarian crisis in Syria.</p><p>Wolf&#8217;s office said that Pennsylvania will continue working with the federal government to ensure that all individuals have gone through the proper screening process.</p><p>&#8220;Governor Wolf wants Pennsylvania to continue to build on its rich history of accepting immigrants and refugees from around the world, but he is also committed to protecting Pennsylvanians and will work with the Federal Government to ensure it is taking every precaution necessary in screening those families coming into the country,&#8221; the release states.</p><p><strong>Citing the experts</strong></p><p>Barletta, in his own news release, pointed out one of the attackers in the Paris terrorist assaults is believed to have entered the European Union through Greece as a Syrian refugee.</p><p>&#8220;In my role on the committee tasked with overseeing much of the security apparatus of this country, I have had the opportunity to speak directly with some of our best and most experienced national security experts,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They have told me that properly vetting these refugees is a difficult challenge at best and nearly impossible at worst. These are professionals who are best positioned to know what our intelligence and analytical capabilities are, and I strongly recommend that you consider their warnings.&#8221;</p><p>Barletta pointed out that in February, he questioned Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Michael Steinbach regarding the topic.</p><p>According to Barletta, Steinbach testified that the United States did not have &#8220;systems in place on the ground&#8221; in Syria to collect enough information to properly screen refugee program applicants.</p><p>In June, Barletta said, Seth Jones, director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation, testified that the United States has in Syria &#8220;far fewer human collectors, far fewer signals, intelligence and other information that will be useful for the vetting process.&#8221;</p><p>In that same hearing, Barletta said, Thomas Fuentes, retired assistant director of the FBI, testified that, &#8220;There&#8217;s no FBI office on the ground in Syria. We have no reliable partner there to gather information from.&#8221;</p><p>Barletta&#8217;s final reference to expert input was to a hearing on Oct. 21 at which he said Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson pledged to be vigilant about vetting the refugees, but admitted, &#8220;It is true that we are not going to know a whole lot about a lot of the Syrians that come forth in this process, just given the nature of the situation.&#8221;</p><p>Johnson went on to underscore the seriousness of the predicament, saying &#8220;one failure is equivalent to 10,000 successes.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Uncooperative governors</strong></p><p>Barletta referenced the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan and Texas who have announced they will not cooperate with the federal relocation program and urged Wolf to follow their lead.</p><p>In response to calls from these governors, Lavinia Limon, president and CEO of the U.S Committee for Refugees and Immigration, said that under the Refugee Act of 1980, governors cannot legally block refugees from settling in their communities.</p><p>&#8220;As a nation, the United States has always been a place for people seeking a better life, but our generous nature should not be able to be used as a weapon against us,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;Until we know that we have a dependable way to screen people seeking refugee status, we should not be throwing our doors open and possibly allowing terrorists to enter the country.&#8221;</p><p>President Obama held firm to current plans on Monday, appealing to Americans to &#8220;not close our hearts&#8221; to Syria&#8217;s victims of war and terrorism and denouncing calls from Republican candidates to favor Syrian Christians over Muslims in the refugee influx.</p><p>His remarks, at a summit of world leaders in Turkey, seemed aimed at heading off a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment reminiscent of the 9/11 era, as much as keeping open the pathway for refugees.</p><p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Barletta urges Wolf to stop welcoming Syrian refugees after Paris attacks