McHenry, Meadows back halt to Syrian refugees

The two men representing the mountains in the U.S. House have joined other Republicans in North Carolina's congressional delegation in a call for a halt to bringing refugees from Syria to the state.

Reps. Patrick McHenry, R-Lincoln, and Mark Meadows, R-Jackson, joined the eight other Republicans in the House in a statement Tuesday saying, "Blocking the flow of Syrian refugees until we can better understand and address security risks they may pose is a necessary step to protect our state and homeland."

The statement says the congressmen were "horrified" by last week's terrorist attacks in Paris and praised Gov. Pat McCrory for making the same request.

“In the days since, we have been deeply troubled to learn one of the terrorists who committed this atrocity may have come to Europe posing as a Syrian refugee. With the massive influx of Syrian refugees to Europe, this was always a threat and, regrettably, now it’s been realized," the statement says.

“Given this development we have serious concerns about the ongoing resettlement of Syrian refugees to the communities we represent across North Carolina," it says. It asks the Obama administration to "immediately cease sending Syrian refugees to our state. We believe this is a common sense step."

McCrory said at a news conference Monday that 59 Syrian refugees had been relocated to the state from the end of 2014 through October.

President Barack Obama, speaking Wednesday morning in the Philippines, said the chorus of Republican opposition to bringing Syrian refugees "needs to stop," the Associated Press reported.

"Apparently, they're scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America," Obama said.

Administration officials are defending the process of investigating Syrian refugees applying for permission to come to the United States, saying it is thorough and careful.

Obama argued that the U.S. doesn't make good decisions "based on hysteria" or exaggerated risk. "We are not well served when in response to a terrorist attack we descend into fear and panic," he said.

McCrory said in a statement Wednesday that a conference call with administration officials and other governors "was a good first step" but had not allayed his concerns.

“Protecting the safety of North Carolina citizens is my top priority,” McCrory said. “There must be more cooperation, collaboration and communication between the federal government and the states so governors can fulfill their responsibility of keeping our citizens safe and secure.”