Obama to veto bill that seeks to boost scrutiny of Syrian refugees

U.S. President Barack Obama will veto a bill, to be put to vote in the House of Representatives Thursday, which proposes additional security checks on Syrian refugees before they are allowed into the country, the White House announced Wednesday in a statement.

“This legislation would introduce unnecessary and impractical requirements that would unacceptably hamper our efforts to assist some of the most vulnerable people in the world, many of whom are victims of terrorism,” the statement says.

The Republican opposition that controls both the Lower House and the Senate argues there should be a “pause” in Obama’s plan to welcome 10,000 Syrian refugees in United States over the next year.

The opposition to the refugee program comes as investigators suspect one of the terrorists who carried out the Paris attacks that killed 129 people and wounded over 350, entered Europe posing as a Syrian refugee.

The bill, proposed by Republican congressmen, Mike McCaul and Richard Hudson, would block the entry of refugees from Syria and Iraq to United States unless the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence assure the Congress they don’t pose a threat.

The White House said while the bill would provide no additional security for the American people, it will “create significant delays and obstacles” for the refugees.

However, even if the bill is passed by the Lower House, the Democrats could filibuster the measure in the Senate and prevent it from ending up on Obama’s desk.

The White House statement comes after Obama repeated his promise Wednesday to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees despite the reluctance of some 30 governors, most of them from Republican states.

“Here, our focus is giving safe haven to the most vulnerable Syrians women, children, and survivors of torture,” the president emphasized.

“Welcoming the world’s vulnerable who seek the safety of America is not new to us. We’ve safely welcomed 3 million refugees since 1975,” he added.