WASHINGTON, D.C. (WMOT) -- Mid-state congressional representative Marsha Blackburn is panning the Obama Administration's plans to accept more refugees from war-torn Syria.
Blackburn voiced her concerns Tuesday in Washington from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Blackburn says she sees the refugees as a possible security threat.
“How can we verify that these refugees do not present a threat to our national security? Syria has proven to be a fertile recruiting ground for Islamic extremists and terrorists.”
Blackburn said her comments were in reaction to a plan announced by Secretary of State John Kerry that would have the United States accepting 185,000 Syrian refugees over two years.
Blackburn was mistaken. The new two year target of 185,000 represents the total number of refugees the U.S. will accept from all regions of the world, not just Syria.
The U.S. has agreed to accept about 10,000 Syrians in 2016.