Critics of Syrian refugees are 'scared of widows and orphans,' Obama says

Gregory Korte | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Obama mocked critics of his administration's refugee policy Wednesday amid a growing clamor from Republican governors, congressmen and presidential candidates for a moratorium on new arrivals from Syria.

"Apparently, they’re scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America as part of our tradition of compassion. First, they were worried about the press being too tough on them during debates. Now they’re worried about three-year-old orphans. That doesn’t sound very tough to me," Obama said in Manila in a joint press conference with Philippine President Benigno Aquino.

"They’ve been playing on fear in order to try to score political points or to advance their campaigns. And it’s irresponsible. And it’s contrary to who we are. And it needs to stop, because the world is watching," he said.

A number of governors and mayors have urged Obama to reverse his decision to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees into the country over the next year, citing fears following last weeks' terrorist attacks in Paris.

Obama said the fear of Syrian refugees was based on "hysteria" and defended the system for vetting refugees, saying the screening process takes 18 to 24 months and is "the most rigorous process conceivable."

"The intelligence community vets fully who they are. Biometrics are applied to determine whether they are, in fact, somebody who might threaten the United States. There is an entire apparatus of all of our law enforcement agencies and the center that we use for countering terrorism to check and ensure that a refugee is not admitted that might cause us harm," he said.

If anything, Obama said, the screening process "is so cumbersome that it’s very difficult for us to show the kind of compassion that we need to for these folks who are suffering under the bombings of Assad and the attacks of ISIL."

On Tuesday, senior administration officials held a 90-minute conference call with a bipartisan group of 34 governors to address their concerns about the screening process. The call was led by White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and included high-ranking officials from the State and Homeland Security and Health Departments, FBI, and intelligence agencies.

Obama said he's open to hearing ideas from the governors about how to improve the system.

"But that’s not really what’s been going on in this debate. When candidates say, 'We wouldn't admit 3-year-old orphans,' that’s political posturing. When individuals say that we should have a religious test and that only Christians — proven Christians — should be admitted, that’s offensive and contrary to American values," he said.