US House votes to curb intake of Syrian and Iraqi refugees
Both Republicans and Democrats supported the Bill that seeks to restrict the entry of the thousands fleeing from the war-torn nations.
The United States House of Representatives voted 289-137 to restrict the entry of refugees from Syria and Iraq, citing security concerns on Thursday. The Bill will require each refugee to undergo a background check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and they will only be let in if signed off by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence. President Barack Obama said he would veto the legislation, the BBC reported. Obama has been severely critical of those suggesting that refugees must be kept out as terrorists could slip in among them.
The Bill, which still needs to pass through the Senate to reach Obama, comes in the wake of the Paris attacks last week in which 129 people were killed by terrorists claiming to be from the Islamic State. One of the terrorists allegedly came in through Greece alongside several Syrian refugees and passed into the European Union. In September, the Obama administration had said the country would accommodate 10,000 refugees. Millions of people have been forced to flee Syria, where a civil war is in progress. Operations by and against ISIS, which has claimed parts of Syria and Iraq, have made large areas dangerous for civilians to inhabit.
On Wednesday, a video by ISIS had threatened an attack on New York city. However, the FBI chief and city mayor both said that New York would not be cowed down by such tactics.