New U.S. bill would tighten refugee vetting

The White House held a 90-minute phone call with 34 governors on Tuesday night to explain how Syrian refugees are screened and prioritised for entry. “No, I’m not interested in accepting refugees from Syria”.

Gov. Greg Abbott called on the D and the Health and Human Services Commission to use their authority to keep Syrian refugees from coming into the state.

“People understand the plight of those fleeing the Middle East. But they also want basic assurances for the safety of this country”, said Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican.

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It would stipulate that no Syrian or Iraqi refugee can enter the United States until Congress receives certification that they are not a national security threat, he said in a statement late on Tuesday.

“Let us as legislators rise above petty politics, rise above sectarian fears… the underlying layer of xenophobia”, Gutierrez said on the House floor.

Immigration is a federal and not state issue, but states have tactics to complicate the resettlement process.

Congresswoman Blackburn is one of the House Republicans determined to stop Syrian refugees from reaching the U.S. She said the background checks already in place don’t do enough.

“Apparently they are scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America”, Mr. Obama said.

Republican presidential candidates and congressional leaders have warned that terrorists could sneak into the pool of Syrian refugees allowed into the United States if the resettlement program – created to aid those fleeing civil war and the Islamic State – isn’t halted.

House Speaker Paul Ryan called for a “pause” in the Syrian scheme, joining more than half of state governors urging Obama to suspend the program and fully review the vetting process to ensure that would-be attackers do not slip into the country as refugees. In discussions, a lawmaker who supported the measure acknowledged that the effort is “symbolic”, according to NBC Chicago, because they have a limited ability to regulate the flow of refugees into their city.

Cruz told reporters in Charleston, South Carolina, this weekend that he would admit all persecuted Christians from Syria to the USA but no persecuted Muslims.