Rubio: Block Syrian Refugees, but Use 'Common Sense'

While Florida Sen. Marco Rubio favors keeping any refugees out of the United States who cannot be vetted, he said Sunday there should be "common sense" exceptions.

"A 5-year-old orphan, a 90-year-old widow, a well-known Chaldean priest, these are common sense applications and you can clearly vet them by common sense," Rubio told "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace.

But when it comes to someone who doesn't fit one of those profiles, there is no reliable database to check their stories, he said.

"There is no existing government institution in their home country that we can call up and run them against. We can't vet most of these people," Rubio said. "It's not that the vetting isn't happening, it's that the vetting doesn't have reliable data to compare it against."

Several of Rubio's GOP presidential rivals have said all Syrian refugees should be prevented from entering unless better vetting can be established. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has even said 5-year-old orphans should not be admitted.

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