By Jordan Fabian - 11/18/15 12:27 PM EST
The White House took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend its plan to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees.
President Obama's official Twitter account blasted out a series of tweets reassuring the public that Syrians are only admitted once they “pass the highest security checks.”
“Slamming the door in the face of refugees would betray our deepest values. That's not who we are. And it's not what we're going to do.”
Here, our focus is giving safe haven to the most vulnerable Syrians — women, children, and survivors of torture.
— President Obama (@POTUS) November 18, 2015Slamming the door in the face of refugees would betray our deepest values. That's not who we are. And it's not what we're going to do.
— President Obama (@POTUS) November 18, 2015Obama's national security staffers said they would hold a Twitter chat to answer questions about the president's plan, which would resettle 10,000 Syrians over the next year.
The White House is attempting to fend off a wave of criticism of its refugee resettlement plan.
More than half of the nation's governors, almost all Republicans, have voiced opposition to the plan, citing national security concerns, and the GOP-controlled House plans to vote on a measure to put a temporary hold on admitting people fleeing the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday morning in the Philippines, Obama laid into Republican presidential candidates, accusing them of using the refugee program to stoke fear and score “political points.”
“I cannot think of a more potent recruitment tool for ISIL than some of the rhetoric that's been coming out of here during the course of this debate,” he said, using the administration's preferred acronym for the extremist group.
