Obama administration officials pushed back Tuesday against Republican governors, presidential candidates and lawmakers who are demanding a ban on Syrian refugees, saying such men and women are the most heavily scrutinized group of people allowed to enter the United States.
The officials also pleaded with politicians not to endanger a decades-old refugee resettlement program that has long had strong bipartisan support and is a source of good will for the U.S. in much of the world.

Following reports that a Syrian migrant may have been involved in last week's attacks in Paris, more than half of U.S. governors, including New Hampshire's Democratic governor, have indicated they don't want Syrian refugees — most of whom are Muslim — resettled in their states. Some Republicans in Congress are threatening a government shutdown over the issue in light of plans by the Obama administration to resettle 10,000 Syrians next year.

The White House ramped up its response to the Republican-led efforts on Tuesday, releasing a blog post laying out basic facts and making assurances about the program. In a conference call with reporters Tuesday, senior administration officials reiterated that the federal government controls the refugee resettlement program, but they also acknowledged funding from Congress is critical to maintaining it and that local support is key to helping refugees integrate wherever they land.

"We don’t want to send refugees anywhere where they would not be welcomed," one of the officials said, adding later: "The thing I most fear about this current discussion going on in the United States is that we will lose the bipartisan support ... that (this program) has enjoyed for decades. This is a very precious thing. In the current day and age, it’s been a rare thing."


WHOLE lot more at: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/1...#ixzz3ro3igPwP

Originally posted by macrocycle

10000 refugees is nothing to the US. This is beyond pathetic.