Mike Huckabee Tuesday slammed the Obama administration during the fourth Republican presidential undercard debate for wanting to take in Syrian refugees but not doing "anything to help stop the slaughter of Christians."
"We didn't help the Kurds. We said we would," he said in response to a question by Fox Business moderator Sandra Smith at the debate in Milwaukee. "The idea we're just going to open our doors and have no idea who the people are?"
He said that the concern is that members of the Islamic State could easily enter the United States through such a refugee program.
"Are we going to open the door so ISIS people come on in, give them a place to stay and good sandwich and medical benefits?" he asked. "We're $19 trillion in debt — and we can't afford to take care of Americans.
"If we're going to do something for the Syrians, find out who they really are and the ones really in danger, build an encampment for them but closer to where they live rather than bring them here, when they don't know the language, the culture.
"And, frankly, if we've got as many homeless people we have, I'm not sure this makes any sense."
He added that it was important for Saudi Arabia to take a role in the Syrian refugee crisis.
"I'm tired of the Americans being the only ones asked to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to charity," he said. "My number one concern right now is taking care of the fact that Americans are taking it in the gut without jobs — many of them work in two and three part-time jobs — and if America wants to do something, great."
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