Kerry: People ‘Shouldn’t Be Rushing to Judgement’ on Refugees

Secretary of State John Kerry stated that “people shouldn’t be rushing to judgement” over the Syrian refugees in an interview set to air on Tuesday’s “NBC Nightly News.”

Kerry said, “We have — since 9/11, we have allowed 785,000 refugees to come to the United States of America, all vetted, all screened. Out of the 785,000, 12 people were found to perhaps be problematic with respect to potential terror, and they were arrested or deported. So, we have a very capable ability, which we now have to probably heighten, and increase even more, and it’ll probably go slower, and cost more money, But the United States of America shouldn’t turn away a mother and a child, who have been driven out of their homes, and perhaps had another child killed in the process, and made their way over land or sea to seek refuge.”

When asked if states have the power to refuse refugees, Kerry answered, “Well, that’s — they have to be part — they have to be a willing part of the process, certainly. But I think people shouldn’t be rushing to judgement here. We have the ability to be able to keep faith with our values of providing refuge for legitimate refugees, and to determine, through an appropriate vetting process, using the FBI, Homeland Security, the counterterrorism capacity, other people in other countries, to be able to determine whether some woman, 70 years old, with her children, is a threat to the United States.”

(h/t Real Clear Politics)

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