Ben Carson Calls on GOP Leadership in Congress to Defund Federal Syrian Refugee Program

GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson sent letters to GOP leadership in Congress – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan – stressing the risk of terrorism infiltrating the U.S. with more Syrian refugees entering the country.

Carson is urging the GOP leaders to move legislation through Congress that would terminate the public funding for the federal programs that resettle these refugees from Syria into the United States.

Carson’s letter read:

Today, I am urging you and your colleagues in the Republican Leadership to move legislation through the U.S. House of Representatives this week that terminates all public funding for any ongoing federal programs that seek to resettle refugees and/or migrants from Syria into the United States, effective immediately. The national security of the American people demands that the Congress swiftly extinguish any programs that might allow an ISIS terrorist to infiltrate the United States disguised as a refugee or migrant.

Friday night, several teams of ISIS terrorists attacked six different locations in Paris, killing at least 132 people and wounding hundreds more. The media is already reporting that government officials believe some of the ISIS terrorists responsible for this grotesque attack left Syria posing as migrants and were able to gain safe entry to France, Belgium, and perhaps other central European countries.

Unfortunately, in September, President Obama pledged that the United States would accept an additional 45,000 new refugees, mostly from Syria, in 2016-2017. While many of us were troubled by the President’s decision at the time, given the events in Paris Friday night, there can be no disputing the fact that the United States cannot, should not, and must not accept any Syrian refugees, let alone the dramatically larger number President Obama volunteered to host.

Yesterday, the Governors of both Michigan and Alabama publicly stated that they do not want to accept any more Syrian refugees. In addition, former Congressman Mike Rogers (R-MI), who served as Chairman the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has said that it will not be possible for the United States to properly vet up to tens of thousands of Syrian refugees over the next two years.

On behalf of the American people, and the greatest nation on Earth, I urge you to take immediate, strong action to keep them safe from radical Islamic terrorists who are seeking to destroy our very way of life.

Sincerely,
Dr. Benjamin S. Carson

Like Carson, GOP presidential candidate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has called for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to stop President Obama’s plan to bring in more refugees, which could impact potential terrorism in the United States.

Fellow GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, who has been vocal about not accepting more Syrian refugees into the U.S., spoke about the issue of taking in more Syrian refugees following the attack in Paris while she addressed the Sunshine Summit in Florida on Saturday.

“I am angry that President Obama unilaterally decides that we’ll accept up to 100,000 Syrian refugees while his administration admits we cannot determine their ties to terrorism,” Fiorina stressed.