By Associated Press
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's push for an investigation into how two Iraqis now jailed on terrorism charges ended up in his hometown could result in a hearing next month in Washington.
The hearing, tentatively set for July 13 by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, will look into security issues related to the visa process, according to a letter sent to Paul this week by the committee chairman, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.
"We share your belief that there must be a robust screening process for potential visa and refugees entering the United States," said the letter, signed by Lieberman and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the committee's ranking Republican.
Paul, R-Ky., has pressed for an investigation into how the two terrorism suspects caught in his hometown of Bowling Green were granted refugee status. The freshman senator is a member of the Homeland Security committee.
Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23, are charged in a 23-count indictment with conspiring to send weapons and money to al-Qaida in Iraq. Alwan is also charged with attacking American soldiers in Iraq.
A grand jury in Bowling Green charged the men last month.
Paul said in a statement that the lack of a thorough screening process for potential visa recipients puts the U.S. "in grave danger."
"The fact that two Iraqi refugees, one who was previously held for attempting to bomb American troops, were allowed into the country raises many questions about federal immigration policies and their role in protecting our citizens," Paul said.
The letter from Lieberman and Collins said the hearing's witnesses will include officials from the departments of state and homeland security. The hearing also will focus on efforts to identify and prevent terrorist travel, they said.
"It will examine the security of our visa issuing process for immigrants and non-immigrants, the passenger pre-screening and screening programs that have been implemented to secure international flights bound for the United States and our watchlisting systems," the letter said.
The letter indicated Paul's staff received a classified briefing from the FBI, National Counterterrorism Center and others on the matters.
U.S. Attorney David J. Hale, the top federal prosecutor for the western half of Kentucky, has said that neither suspect caught in Bowling Green is charged with plotting terrorist attacks in the U.S.
Officials have not said where Alwan and Hammadi are being held, but during a recent court appearance, an Associated Press reporter saw them emerge from a Warren County Regional Jail vehicle in Bowling Green.
Kentucky's senior senator, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has been pushing the Obama administration to send the two Iraqi suspects to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to face a military trial.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder defended holding a civilian trial for the suspects in a speech he gave last week in Washington.