The mayor of Roanoke, Va., is apologizing for his remarks about World War II-era Japanese internment camps, which he mentioned in a statement calling to delay the relocation of Syrian refugees to his city.

Mayor David Bowers (D) publicly apologized to Japanese-Americans during a special meeting Friday with City Council members, according to the Daily Beast.

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Bowers said he did not expect his remarks to go viral, the Daily Beast reported, and he meant the comments to be "respectful."

"It's just not in my heart to be racist or bigoted," Bowers said, according to WDBJ7. "I apologize to all of those offended by my remarks. No one else is to blame but me."

“I’m reminded that President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and it appears that the threat of harm to America from [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] now is just as real and serious as that from our enemies then,” Bowers said in the controversial statement Wednesday.

Updated at 3:14 p.m.