Durbin: U.S. Should Accept 100,000 Syrian Refugees

John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says far more Syrian refugees should be accepted into the U.S. than what President Obama has proposed.

The Obama administration has suggested allowing 10,000 refugees from Syria. Durbin believes that proposal is too modest, and is calling for 100,000 refugees to be accepted.

"Yes, each and every one of them needs to be carefully checked and vetted so that we know we're not inviting someone in who's a danger to the United States," Durbin said on the Senate floor Tuesday, "but the people I've met in Chicago, the refugees there, are just desperate people, trying to find a roof over their head, trying to find some little work to do to keep what remains of their family together."

Durbin notes the U.S. accepted refugees from other countries affected by war or persecution, such as Cuba, Somalia, and Bosnia, and wants that "great American tradition" to continue.