Some state Senate Republicans ask Inslee for pause in Syrian resettlement in Washington

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — More than a dozen Senate Republicans are asking Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to ensure that Syrian refugees are properly vetted before the state agrees to accept them.

The letter from the 14 lawmakers on Wednesday says the state should pause potential resettlement efforts until more is known about the vetting process at the federal level.

On Wednesday morning, one state lawmaker told Q13 Fox News he stands by comments he made on Facebook calling Islam “barbarian medievalism” and suggesting Muslims are “incompatible with western civilization.”

However, Representative Jay Rodne, R-Snoqualmie, said he did not mean to imply that all Muslims are “barbarians.”

Earlier this week, Inslee said the state would welcome Syrian refugees if the federal government ultimately decides the state will receive any of the 10,000 people that President Barack Obama's administration has pledged to resettle over the next year. On Tuesday, he participated in a governors' call with the White House that he said cleared up "misinformation" about the program.

At this point, it is unknown how many Syrian refugees could be resettled in the state. Inslee, who criticized other governors who have threatened to stop accepting refugees following last week's terror attacks in Paris, has noted that governors lack the authority to grant or deny entry forrefugees.