US Gov’t ‘Steadfastly Committed’ to Obama’s Syrian Refugee Resettlement Plan

Washington (PNA/Sputnik) — The US government continues to support President Barack Obama’s plan to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees by 2016 despite calls from governors around the United States to halt the resettlement program, US Department of State spokesperson Eric Toner said on Monday.

“We remain steadfastly committed to the president’s plan to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States in FY [fiscal year] 2016, we think we can do this safely and in a way that represents the best of American values,” Toner stated during a press briefing.

The United States also subjects refugees fleeing the war in Syria to the most intensive security checks of any category of immigrant, US State Department said.

“These refugees are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveller to the United States,” Toner said. “These Syrian refugees go through…[an] additional form of security screenings.”

Toner noted that the United States and Europe need to implement a more robust system to track foreign fighters from Iraq and Syria and prevent them from pouring into Europe.

“One of the areas where we do need to improve… is the flow of foreign fighters from Syria, from Iraq,” Toner said. “We’ve got to get a better system in place to track these individuals and to prevent them from flowing into Europe.” (PNA/Sputnik) JMC/SSC