Six Bosnian nationals were arrested and charged in the U.S. last week for allegedly sending money and weapons to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement on Friday. All six were charged with provision of material support to terror groups, and conspiracy to provide material support and resources.
Terrorist groups like al-Qaida and ISIS have increased their recruitment efforts online and through social media, attempting to lure disenfranchised Western citizens into jihad. U.S. refugee resettlement programs, which offer asylum to thousands of refugees from countries where terrorist groups operate, are consequently coming under increased scrutiny.
In 2014, for example, the U.S. admitted 10,057 refugees from Somalia—where the al-Qaida-affiliated militant group al-Shabaab has a strong presence.
More than a dozen Somali-Americans traveled to the Middle East to join the ranks of ISIS in 2014, according to Minnesota Public Radio and CBN.
National security journalists, therefore, should analyze the vetting of potential refugees, and if the current protocols have left open loopholes for militants to gain entry to the U.S. homeland.
But a refugee policy that is too restrictive is also problematic.
After more than a decade of combat operations in countries throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, the U.S. has a responsibility to protect the lives of foreign nationals who aided U.S. war efforts as translators, fixers and in other critical roles.
An unnamed Afghan interpreter, working with U.S. soldiers in Logar Province, Afghanistan, 2013. (Nolan Peterson)
The media has an important role to play as watchdogs to ensure that as U.S. operations wind down in Afghanistan, and as Iraq deals with the aftershocks of the U.S.-led war there and its new battle with ISIS, adequate protection and humanitarian concerns are paid to individuals who risked their lives, and those of their families, to assist U.S. military and diplomatic efforts.
The Refugee Processing Center offers a comprehensive data portal through which journalists can access and analyze U.S. refugee data, according to metrics such as year, country of origin, and relocation destinations.
This data is easily accessible through the Internet by visiting the RPC website.
Data can be sorted according to user preferences and synthesized into downloadable reports.
RPC data is a valuable and easily accessed tool to analyze emerging threats, as well as hold the U.S. government accountable to foreign nationals who have played a critical role in defending U.S. lives and interests in the post-9/11 wars.