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 The deaths of 129 people in Paris on Friday in attacks for which
Islamic State claimed responsibility have given both Democratic and
Republican candidates an opening to debate what steps to take
against militants whose reach into Europe from Syria and Iraq is a
direct challenge to Western leaders.
But the Syrian refugee crisis is dividing American politicians,
given the choice between yielding to fears of importing terrorists
or honoring the United States' traditional welcoming role.
Candidates have been debating all year what to do about 11 million
illegal immigrants already in the country.
Some Republican candidates have said they are wary of accepting
Syrian refugees after the attacks and two dozen state governors,
mostly Republicans, have vowed not to accept any.
Governors who oppose Obama's refugee plan are concerned some of them
might launch attacks against Americans.
Bush, however, outlined a scenario in which he would accept some of
those fleeing Syria's civil war.
The former Florida governor told a questioner on a conference call
with business leaders his preference would be to create safe zones
in the region, but added:
"You're not going to solve it by bringing people in. My heart goes
out to the refugees and I do think we have a noble tradition of
supporting refugees. But the screening process needs to be ...
difficult and we err on the side of caution."
Bush reiterated his preference for accepting refugees who are
Christian, after Obama criticized him.
"I don’t think it’s discriminatory to suggest that we should be duty
bound to provide support for Christians who only because of their
faith are being obliterated in the region," he said.
Ohio Governor John Kasich, another Republican candidate, voiced
opposition to accepting refugees following the attacks, having
expressed sympathy for their plight in September.
“Until we get a handle on where we are, we need to stop. And once we
have a rational program and we can determine who it is that’s
coming, then it’s another story," he said in a speech at the
National Press Club in Washington.
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Republican candidate Ted Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, sponsored
Facebook ads opposing Syrian refugees that read, in part, "Tell
President Obama that Syrian refugees infiltrated by ISIS don't
belong in America."
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie
Sanders said they were willing to accept refugees. Clinton, a former
secretary of state, told a rally in Dallas, Texas, that refugees
should "of course" be meticulously screened.
"But we can't act as though we're shutting the doors to people in
need without undermining who we are as Americans and the values we
have stood for," Clinton said.
Sanders, a democratic socialist and senator from Vermont, said: "We
will not succumb to Islamophobia. We will not turn our backs on the
refugees who are fleeing Syria and Afghanistan. We will do what we
do best and that is be Americans - fighting racism, fighting
xenophobia, fighting fear."
A third Democratic candidate, former Maryland Governor Martin
O'Malley, has called for expanding to 65,000 the number of Syrian
refugees allowed in.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Erin McPike, Susan Heavey, Luciana
Lopez, Emily Stephenson and John Whitesides; Editing by James
Dalgleish)
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