Christie: I Wouldn't Even Take in Orphaned Children From Syria

Gov. Chris Christie says that, if elected president, he would not admit any refugees from the Syrian civil war, including “orphans under 5” years old (listen to the audio below).

“I do not trust this administration to effectively vet the people who are supposed to be coming in in order to protect the safety and security of the American people, so I would not permit them in,” he said while appearing Monday on conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt’s syndicated radio show.

Christie hasn’t said what he will do about New Jersey’s policy, and whether he’ll join a chorus of other Republican governors who have said they will not allow refugees into their states. Approximately 75 have settled in New Jersey, according to the U.S. State Department - the ninth largest number in the U.S.

Hewitt asked him specifically what he would do as president, and how he would handle orphaned children.

“We can come up with 18 different scenarios,” Christie said. “The fact is that we need for appropriate vetting and I don’t think orphans under 5 are being, should be permitted into the United States at this point. They have no family here. How are we going to care for these folks?”

Here is the audio:

Photo: Left, Chris Christie; Right, Women and children among Syrian refugees striking at the platform of Budapest Keleti railway station. Refugee crisis. Budapest, Hungary, Central Europe, 4 September 2015. (3)“ by Mstyslav Chernov - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Women_and_children_among_Syrian_refugees_striking_at_the_platform_of_Budapest_Keleti_railway_station._Refugee_crisis._Budapest,_Hungary,_Central_Europe,_4_September_2015._(3).jpg#/media/File:Women_and_children_among_Syrian_refugees_striking_at_the_platform_of_Budapest_Keleti_railway_station._Refugee_crisis._Budapest,_Hungary,_Central_Europe,_4_September_2015._(3).jpg