Public Health Considerations Also Factor in Letting Syrian Refugees in US

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US officials will take public health considerations into account, in addition to national security precautions, before allowing 10,000 Syrian refugees into the United States, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Friday.

"There are public health considerations about bringing refugees into the United States and so, we want to make sure that those refugees have received proper immunizations and those kinds of things… and that takes some time," Earnest stated.

Security considerations are Washington’s top priority, Earnest noted, before deciding whether to admit the refugees, which creates a "rather drawn out process."

Earnest admitted there would be no guarantees that applicants looking to be a part of the 10,000 admitted refugees next year would be granted entry.

"It may be that somebody that applies today for example may not be part of the 10,000 that would be admitted in the next fiscal year, but it certainly would show a stepped up pace and it does… create some additional slots, additional opportunities for those who are in that backlog to be admitted next year."

On Thursday, the Obama administration announced the United States would take up to 10,000 Syrian refugees amid the worsening migrant crisis going in Europe.

The US admission process however, can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months. Moreover, the process has slowed due to specific vetting procedures aimed to weed out potential terrorists and criminals, according to the US Department of State.

The European Parliament backed earlier in the week European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s proposal to relocate some 160,000 refugees throughout EU member states over the next two years.