Hickenlooper: Welcome refugees after security checks

DENVER - Colorado’s governor insists that Syrian refugees are subject to the strictest security checks — and to turn them away will hurt the war on terror.

Gov. John Hickenlooper said Wednesday while federal officials must ensure the vetting is “as stringent as possible,” the U.S. program is the most rigorous in the world.

After the Paris terror attacks, several members of Congress and governors have said they want to block — or pause — federal and state admission of Syrian refugees.

Hickenlooper, a Democrat, noted that governors don’t have that authority. And he says that the refugee resettlement program is a key component of the U.S. fight against terror — a line of argument used by the Obama administration.

The U.S. says it will accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next year.

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