(VOVworld) – US President Barack Obama, in a statement made Wednesday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila, lashed out at Republicans who insist on barring Syrian refugees from entering the US following Paris terror attacks on November 13.

Syrian refugees wait on the Syrian side of the border near Sanliurfa, Turkey, June 10  (Photo: catholicsun.org)

Republican law makers are pushing to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees to the US. Obama said that move could be a potent recruitment tool for the Islamic State (IS).

House Speaker Paul Ryan called for a halt on President Obama’s plans to bring 10,000 Syrians fleeing civil war into the US by 2016. More than 30 state governors urged the White House to closely monitor the refugee relocation program to prevent terrorists from walking in the front door.

Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan vowed to tighten the refugee scrutiny, saying that functional agencies will intensify security safeguards to stop terrorists from entering the US.