Calls For US To Take In Palestinian Refugees Raise Serious Security Concerns, Former, Current Officials Say

• Letting in Palestinian refugees to the U.S. would majorly threaten national security, former and current homeland security officials told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
• The lack of information and trust with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, and a high rate of sympathy for the group by Palestinians are all cause for concern when deciding whether or not to take in refugees, Chad Wolf and Mark Morgan, two former top homeland security officials, told the DCNF.
• “How would we determine those who believe Israel is ‘Little Satan’ and share the extremist ideology of Hamas versus those who don’t? The reality is – it’s an impossible task,” Morgan, who served as the acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during the Trump administration, told the DCNF. 

The U.S. wouldn’t be able to sufficiently vet Palestinian refugees if the Biden administration chose to take them in amid the war between Hamas and Israel, one current and two former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The U.S. doesn’t have sufficient intelligence sharing with Hamas or the ability to root out terrorists and terrorist sympathizers embedded within the Palestinian refugee population, Chad Wolf and Mark Morgan, two former top homeland security officials, told the DCNF. Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman has called for the U.S. to take in Palestinian refugees after Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, killing, kidnapping and raping hundreds of civilians.

“How would we determine those who believe Israel is ‘Little Satan’ and share the extremist ideology of Hamas versus those who don’t? The reality is – it’s an impossible task,” Morgan, who served as the acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during the Trump administration, told the DCNF. “We can’t continue to blindly and irresponsibly put the needs of others ahead of our own National Security. We can’t let our compassion be hijacked – making our own nation more vulnerable than it already is. The White House must explain to the American people how will they ensure our nation’s safety and security.”

Israel has responded to the attacks with strikes on Hamas terror targets in Gaza. Meanwhile, Jordan’s king has said neither he nor Egypt will commit to taking in refugees from Gaza, according to Reuters.

A 2021 poll found that 53% of Palestinians believe that Hamas, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, is “most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people,” according to the Associated Press. A more recent poll from the Washington Institute showed that approximately 57% of people who live in Gaza maintain an opinion of Hamas that is at least “somewhat positive.”

Wolf, who served the Trump administration as acting Director of the DHS, reiterated that proper vetting isn’t possible and that the focus should be on enhancing the vetting of those entering the country illegally, he told the DCNF.

“The US should not use its limited resources to resettle individuals from Gaza. Not only would it be difficult to properly vet non-state individuals from a high risk area of the world but this administration has shown a complete disregard in following proper procedures in vetting aliens they’ve allowed into the U.S.,” Wolf said. “Our efforts right now should be focused on vetting and identifying the million of illegal aliens the Biden Administration has allowed into the U.S. while providing support to Israel to defend its homeland and destroy Hamas.”

One DHS official, who requested anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak, told the DCNF that there’s not a presence in Gaza to conduct biometric checks, that include fingerprinting, like U.S. authorities did during the Afghanistan withdrawal.

“[With] Hamas, we haven’t had a presence in that country to even know who’s who. We don’t even know if they even have identification or birth certificates. Who are these people? And it’s going to be so easy for them just to say, ‘hey, I’m a refugee I want to get out of here,’ and their true colors will show once they show up here,” the official said.

The White House, State Department and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.