The Syria refugee dispute continues to roil the political world.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump and other Republicans are jumping on an Internet report that eight Syrians were detained at the Texas border this week.
Citing unnamed sources, Breibart News reported: “Two federal agents operating under the umbrella of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are claiming that eight Syrian illegal aliens attempted to enter Texas from Mexico in the Laredo Sector.”
Tweeted Trump: “Eight Syrians were just caught on the southern border trying to get into the U.S. ISIS maybe? I told you so. WE NEED A BIG & BEAUTIFUL WALL!”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who wants to block Syrian refugees from his state, also jumped into the fray, tweeting: “THIS is why Texas is vigilant about Syrian refugees.”
President Obama and other Democrats have accused Republicans of fear-mongering and of using the Syrian refugee program for political gain in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.
Republican candidates have called for elimination or least a revision of the Syrian refugee program, saying Paris-style terrorists may try to embed themselves in the groups of migrants.
Obama said in Manila on Thursday that the overwhelming majority of refugees from Syria are fleeing terrorism themselves, and are subjected to intensive vetting.
“The idea that somehow they pose a more significant threat than all the tourists who pour into the United States every single day just doesn’t jive with reality,” Obama said. “That’s not what our law enforcement thinks.”
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