Daines, Zinke oppose Syrian refugees coming to U.S.

Montana Republicans Rep. Ryan Zinke and Sen. Steve Daines are joining the growing chorus within their party, calling on President Barack Obama to cease plans to resettle Iraqi and Syrian refugees in the U.S., at least until the screening process can be strengthened.

The push comes after Friday's coordinated attacks in Paris left at least 129 dead and another 350 wounded.

"In the wake of information that the terrorist attack on Paris was carried out in part by an ISIS terrorist embedded in the refugee population, I am calling on Speaker Ryan and Leader McCarthy to bring legislation to the floor this week to stop the president's plan to bring 180,000 refugees to the United States," said Zinke in a press release Sunday.

French officials, it was reported Sunday, found a passport near the remains of at least one of the suspected attackers in France.

However, U.S officials have told CBS News the authenticity of the passport has been called into question and that the documents themselves may have been made in Turkey. They speculate the documents could have been planted near the body by terrorists, the news agency reports.

Zinke went on to urge passage of the Refugee Resettlement Accountability National Security Act, a bill he co-sponsored with 45 other House Republicans in September. The legislation would end the resettlement of refugees in the U.S., until the House and Senate passed a resolution empowering the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to again begin admitting refugees.

The congressman declared his support for the legislation in September, after the Obama administration announced the U.S would help resettle at least 10,000 refugees who have fled the four-year long civil war in Syria.

Later, the Obama administration announced it would raise the cap on the number of refugees accepted from around the globe from 70,000 to 85,000. By 2017, that limit would be boosted to 100,000.

Zinke has long argued military-aged men sympathetic to ISIS could blend in with the larger Iraqi and Syrian refugee population and present a threat to national security.

Zinke said he and Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., have introduced another piece of legislation: the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, known by the acronym SAFE Act. If passed, the law would require that there be no gaps in a person's background in the screening, and that both the FBI as well as the Homeland Security certify that any refugee entering the U.S. is not a danger to national security.

Heather Swift, Zinke's communications director, said that currently a refugee can only be deemed a threat to national security if there is something known in their background.

"This is a change from the way it's currently done which is to only check what's available and determine if they are a threat. Americans SAFE Act adds scrutiny and accountability to the process," said Swift.

In the other house of Congress, Sen. Steve Daines echoed much of Zinke's concern in an email to constituents. The senator said, while he had sympathy for those caught in the crossfire of conflicts in Iraq and Syria, the risks are too great.

"Until we have the capability to complete comprehensive and exhaustive background checks on Syrian refugees before they reach our shores, the United States should immediately stop taking in new refugees from the region," Daines said.