WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In September, Obama announced it would resettle some 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States in 2016, but after the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, US lawmakers and state governors quickly warned they would fight Obama’s plan.
"Here in the United States, refugees coming to America go through up to two years of intense security checks, including biometric screening," Obama said following a meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Washington, DC. "[W]e are prepared to share these tools with France and our European partners."
The US government has admitted some 2,000 refugees despite the fact that more than 23,000 Syrian refugee applicants have been referred to Washington by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Before entering the United States, refugees undergo an intense security screening process that can take months. The process includes several rounds of interviews, deep background checks and crosschecking of biographic and biometric information, according to the DHS.
