By Randall Palmer and Julia Edwards
OTTAWA/WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Canada's government
will inevitably have to cut some corners on security screening
to achieve its ambitious goal of bringing in 25,000 Syrian
refugees by year-end, said current and former security sources.
The plan by newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
seeks to complete in six weeks a process that can take up to two
years in the United States, where last Friday's attacks in Paris
have sparked a political backlash against plans to allow in
10,000 Syrians over the coming year.
In Canada, which shares about 5,500 miles (8,850 km) of
relatively porous border with the United States, Friday's
attacks have prompted calls for Trudeau to push back the Jan. 1
deadline to ensure all the refugees are properly screened.
Trudeau vowed to stick to the plan on Tuesday, reiterating the
security of Canadians would be paramount when dealing with the
refugees.
The Canadian plan will entail background checks that include
biometric and fingerprint checks as well as health assessments.
Some screening will have to be done after the refugees arrive in
Canada given the short time frame.
That could create vulnerabilities, said one recently retired
Canadian intelligence official, since a refugee could already be
in the country by the time any red flags are raised by the
screening.
"You can't say that when you cut some corners and speed up
the system that it's completely risk-free," said the former
official, who has knowledge of the immigration system.
A current Canadian intelligence official said there was "a
clear risk" given the pace at which security screeners would
have to work to interview, select and process such a high volume
of applicants.
Josee Sirois, a spokeswoman for the Public Safety ministry,
said that a "thorough" screening process would be in place, but
that the vast majority of Syrian refugees "pose little or no
risk to Canada."
In the United States, two dozen state governors, mostly
Republicans, have vowed not to accept any refugees, despite
reassurances from the State Department that the immigrants will
be rigorously screened to block any potential militants.
Rand Beers, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security, said that weaker security screening north
of the border would be a worry.
"There would be a concern for anything that is less than our
screening, and even we would say that our screening isn't
perfect," he said.
CUTTING CORNERS?
Canada will primarily focus on families with children under
the age of 18 who have been in Lebanon, Turkey or Jordan since
the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, said an
intelligence source and a non-government source familiar with
deliberations.
The first step in the Canadian plan is to select refugees
registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), then conduct checks against Interpol, Canadian
security and immigration as well as foreign allies' watchlists
before issuing permanent or temporary residence permits.
Canadian immigration and border agents who have been
dispatched to the region, most of them in Beirut, will select
the refugees and raise any red flags to the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police or Canada's spy agency for deeper screening.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, who asked Trudeau to suspend
the plan on Monday citing security concerns, said the government
was moving too quickly and questioned whether normal vetting
steps were being skipped.
"We're going from years to a couple of months in terms of
the wait time or the process," Wall said on CBC TV.
The process for screening and admitting refugees into the
United States lasts between 18 months and two years. The
Department of Homeland Security travels to screen refugees
outside the United States and they are only admitted after
passing security and health checks.
Biographical and biometric data is matched up with any
available databases including travel and criminal records to
confirm the identity of the applicant.
The FBI, Defense Department, State Department and National
Counterterrorism Center all work to screen applicants.
Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, asked in Manila
whether Washington had expressed security concerns about the
plan to bring in 25,000 refugees so quickly, said: "Everything
that we have heard is that our initiative is welcome and
everyone wants to cooperate with this - the United States, but
also Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan."
Spokespeople at the White House and Homeland Security did
not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A European government source said U.K. security authorities
do not regard Syrian refugees as a major source of or cover for
terror activities. About 100 Syrian refugees arrived in Scotland
on Tuesday.
"If you look at the experience from previous movements of
refugees that Canada has brought in, there's no evidence that
stream has been exploited by either intelligence services or
terrorist organizations," the former Canadian official said.
Countries such as Germany and the United States also conduct
their own security checks after the UNHCR registers an
applicant.
"It is a slow process," said a Western diplomat in Beirut,
whose country has taken in Syrian refugees. "The UNHCR doesn't
do its own security checks."
Canada's Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said there
were domestic laws to deal with those who fail the screening
process conducted after their arrival in Canada. The process of
deporting refugees can be legally difficult and lengthy.
The two Canadian intelligence sources said such an outcome
posed headaches for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
(CSIS), which would then have to monitor the individuals.
"You could end up with CSIS having to place 20 agents
tracking him for years to come," said the retired intelligence
official.