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Polis Joins With GOP To Tighten Rules For Syrian Refugees

DENVER (AP) - Colorado congressman Jared Polis is one of 47 Democrats who joined with House Republicans to support making it harder for Syrian and Iraqi refugees to enter the United States.

The measure passed Thursday would in effect suspend admissions of those refugees. It would require the FBI to conduct background checks and oblige security and intelligence officials to certify that each refugee is not a threat.

Syrian refugees
Syrian refugees sit in the back of a Jordanian army truck as they leave the al-Roqban makeshift camp, on the border with Syria, on September 10, 2015. (credit: KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images)

Polis says he supports improving what he says is an already extensive vetting system as well as raising the number of refugees to be admitted this year above the Obama administration's planned increase.

Fellow Democrat Rep. Ed Perlmutter, meanwhile, voted for the Democrats' alternative measure. Backers say it would have added another layer of scrutiny and would have taken 18 to 24 months to process refugees.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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