Chris Christie said the current refugee issue in America is the fault of President Obama for not acting on his “red line” in Syria and allowing Russia to get a role in the air campaign there.
“This is something that the president has created,” Christie said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “His inaction as this crisis has spiraled out of control, has created this crisis, and now he wants the American people to absorb this crisis he’s created.”
The terrorist attacks last week in Paris and the resulting fear fighters could enter the U.S. by posing as refugees trying to escape violence have changed the race for president, according to Christie. During town halls in New Hampshire, he said he has seen the shift first hand as questions now focus exclusively on national security.
Analysts have said that it’s unclear if this shift will last until Election Day and which candidates it will help. In the short term, it has prompted almost every candidate to come out with his or her own plan to keep the country safe if elected the next commander-in-chief.
Christie said the U.S. should create a no-fly zone and a safe haven in Syria so refugees don’t need to leave their own country to find safety.
More broadly, the GOP presidential contender and New Jersey governor said the country must restart the National Security Administration program to collect metadata and build up the morale of intelligence officers.
“We need to do all those things first and foremost to protect the homeland,” he said. “National security is not an option, it’s a fundamental right and that’s what we’ll be focused on.”
He also said the U.S. must revise its rules of engagement against the Islamic State, since the terrorist group “doesn’t seem to be concerned about civilian casualties.”
Christie will lay out more of his national security policies during a Tuesday speech in Washington.
