Dayton: Calls by state governors to bar Syrian refugees are 'ludicrous'

Gov. Mark Dayton decried what he called political posturing of state governors who said they will prevent Syrian refugees from entering their state.

"I think it's showmanship on the part of the governors," Dayton told reporters.

He added: "I want to protect the people of Minnesota every bit as much those governors want to protect the people of their states. To stand up there with swagger, and say 'I'm going to prevent the wrong people from entering my state' to me is just ludicrous."

Dayton on Monday said he had no plans to bar Syrian refugees from entering Minnesota, as the U.S. prepares to accept 10,000 refugees in the coming months.

Tuesday evening, Dayton, along with 33 other governors, participated in a conference call with White House and federal officials, who answered questions on the Obama administration's screening procedures for refugees, according to a readout of the call.

A Dayton spokesman afterward said that that only 2,174 refugees from Syria have been admitted in the country, and of those, nine have settled in Minnesota, according to officials on the call.

Minnesota Republicans, however, have raised concerns that screening procedures for refugees may be inadequate, particularly in the aftermath of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris. House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, on Monday, said the U.S. should halt the acceptance of Syrian refugees until screening procedures "are thorough enough to prevent terrorists from entering our state."

Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, on Tuesday joined Daudt.

"This is not a discussion about permanently closing our borders, or even permanently rejecting Syrian refugees," Hann said in a statement. "But right now, we are lacking the intelligence necessary to implement security screenings intensive enough to guarantee our safety. Until we can, it is in our best interest to suspend the Syrian refugee program."