BREAKING: Christie Issues New N.J. Position On Syrian Refugees

Gov. Chris Christie announced Tuesday that he sent a letter to President Obama, notifying him that New Jersey will not accept any refugees from Syria in the wake of the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris last week.

In a press statement from his office, Christie says that his chief concern in accepting refugees from Syria is the federal government’s “failure” to notify New Jersey, New Jersey’s office of Homeland Security and the appropriate law enforcement entities, and coordinate with the state and these agencies, before refugees arrive in New Jersey.

“Coupled with the federal government’s inability to conduct the adequate screening of refugees coming into the country as FBI Director Comey testified to, the residents of New Jersey will not be made irresponsibly vulnerable,” according to the statement.

The statement comes two months after nj.com quoted Christie as saying “the United States should play their role” in taking in Syrian refugees.

Christie also said he would sit down with U.S. allies and “figure out how we can help, because America is a compassionate country,” according to the report.

His support was backed up by the numbers: Approximately 75 Syrian refugees have settled in New Jersey since the start of the year, the ninth most of any state in the U.S., according to the U.S. State Department.

Then, in October, Christie changed his position during an appearance on Fox News with Sean Hannity, saying it would be a “danger” to accept even a single Syrian refugee into the United States.

On Monday, he said he would not let in anybody, including orphans under the age of 5.

“That’s why I’ve been advocating for the idea that what we need to do is incentivize our allies around the world, especially in the Middle East, for them to take these folks in,” he said on the broadcast.

Christie then suggested that the U.S. should pay other countries to accept the refugees.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, decried what it considered the “un-American” statements by a growing number of Republican governors in opposition to the acceptance of Syrian refugees into their states.

“Defeating ISIS involves projecting American ideals to the world. This un-American rejection of refugees, who will face significant security checks prior to entry, sends entirely the wrong message. Governors who reject those fleeing war and persecution abandon our ideals and instead project our fears to the world.”

Christie has blamed President Obama for the bloodshed in Syria, but nj.com reported that he hasn’t always argued against allowing Syrian refugees enter the Untied States because they pose a danger to the country. He said:

“I’d sit down with our allies and figure out how we can help, because America is a compassionate country. We saw the image of that 4-year-old little boy drowned in Syria, and we can’t have those kinds of things ... I can’t come up with an exact number. You’d have to sit with our allies and work together.”