NEW YORK: US President Barack Obama’s plan to settle 60,000 Syrian refugees in United States is in trouble as the Republican candidates for the presidency in 2016 oppose it, according to media reports.

Since Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris the fears that such assaults could also happen on the United States soil have raised anxiety within the Republican presidential field and beyond. The Republican candidates seemed to be positioning themselves as most of them want to keep refugees from entering the country, a media report said.

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, said the migrants were dangerous and suggested that Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, the new speaker, should step down if he doesn’t block President Obama’s plans to welcome 60,000 Syrian refugees.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said that he would introduce legislation curtailing the number of visas issued to countries with a “significant jihadist movement”.

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, who has been trying to demonstrate gravitas and electability, said in a radio interview that he would not let any refugee in, including children the media said.

“I do not trust this administration to effectively vet the people who are proposed to be coming in,” Christee said. When asked if that included “orphans under the age of 5”, he said, “I don’t think orphans under 5 should be admitted into the United States at this point. They have no family here. How are we going to care for these folks?”

Only Christians Refugees:

Jeb Bush and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas also said there was no safe way to vet the refugees and said that only Christians should be allowed into the country.And several Republican governors moved quickly to say they would bar Syrian refugees from their own states, the newspapers said.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2015