Who said a couple hundred thousand? I'm not an expert on the issue (and neither is anyone else on this forum), but my first instinct isn't to default to xenophobia and bar refugees from entering the country who may otherwise die. From my understanding, the vetting process for refugees is typically quite thorough, sometimes lasting up to 18 months. If a threat isn't detected during these examinations, why wouldn't we be compassionate and help?
The Syrian refugee crisis has forced President Obama to consider admitting many more refugees to the U.S. Recently, Secretary of State John Kerry pledged that the United States will take 100,000 refugees a year by 2017, increasing from 70,000 this year.
http://www.npr.org/2015/09/22/44219...n-to-accept-more-refugees-michigan-gets-ready