Dayton Won’t Object to Syrian Refugees if Deep Checks Done

The Associated PressPublished: November 16, 2015

SANLIURFA, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 30: A boy rides in a truck with other refugees after crossing from Syria into Turkey September 30, 2014 near Suruc, Turkey. Kurdish troops are engaged in a battle against fighters of the Islamic State (IS, also called ISIS and ISIL) to defend the strategic nearby Kurdish border town of Kobani (also called Ayn Al-Arab), which ISIS has surrounded on three sides. The Turkish Parliament is due to vote on a measure on October 2, which would allow Turkish ground forces to enter Syria, creating a buffer zone to protect fleeing refugees from the ISIS advance. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

ST. PAUL (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton isn't objecting to the possible placement of Syrian refugees in his state as long as they undergo rigorous screening first.

Dayton released a statement Monday saying he's been assured by the White House that any refugees from the war-torn country would be "subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States."

President Barack Obama's administration has pledged to accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next 12 months. The U.S. State Department has said the refugees would be spread across the country.

The Democratic governor's stance is in contrast to those in several Republican-led states, where governors say they don't want any refugees settled within their borders in the wake of last week's terror attacks in Paris.

Categories: AP Stories, State/Regional News