Trump will soon have power to change cap on number of refugees allowed in U.S.

Minnesota could take in as many as 2,500 refugees next year, the number allowed under the Obama administration. But that could change when Donald Trump takes office. In his first 100 days, the president-elect said he will suspend immigration from "terror-prone" regions where he said vetting cannot safely occur.

Refugees from those countries and all others already go through extensive vetting, according to the federal government. The nine-step process starts with the collection of identifying documents. The process includes the collection of fingerprints for Syrians and other refugees in the Middle East get

What does the vetting process look like? How does it differ from countries like Syria, Iraq and Somalia?

Simon Henshaw, principal deputy assistant secretary of the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, said he couldn't elaborate on the extra added security checks those refugees experience, but they also go through the same basic process.

All applicants are placed through security screens by law enforcement, intelligence and military forces. On average, the process takes 18 months and it starts at the very beginning where only certain types of refugees are allowed into the resettlement program.

Refugees are pre-screened by U.S. State Department contractors. Their names are checked against databases and their given multi-hour interviews by Department of Homeland Security officers. Their fingerprints are taken and run through a database that's checked multiple times throughout the process.

"It's only then after all these checks and interviews are done that somebody is allowed to come in the United States," Henshaw said. "If there is any question at all about any contact they've had with somebody or any sort of issue, they're just not brought in."

What are the types of refugees that are allowed into the process in the beginning?

The State Department sets parameters for the refugee programs. The most vulnerable population, like children and female-headed families are given priority, along with victims of terrorism or gender-based violence.

In Minnesota, a handful of Syrian families have resettled since the refugee crisis began. They make up a total of 21 refugees.

About 40 percent of refugees in Minnesota are from Somalia and 20 percent are from Maynmar.

"Where Somalis are coming from, it's pretty miserable," Henshaw said.

Can the new administration decide how many refugees enter the U.S.?

The president sets a cap on the number of refugees who are brought in. President Barack Obama set the cap at 110,000 refugees from around the world for fiscal year 2017. The new Donald Trump administration could change that.

Henshaw declined to speculate on how the president elect may change the vetting process. But he said it's pretty strict already.

"Refugees undergo the most rigorous level of security checks of any traveler to the united states," he said. "Over a million people enter the United States every day, millions a week. Last year, 85,000 refugees came in all year, and they were the most checked people entering the united states."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click on the audio player above to hear their conversation.