Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said the United States should help ease the Syrian refugee crisis by building "encampments" abroad for the millions of people who have been displaced by violence and unrest.
Speaking at undercard forum at the fourth Republican presidential debate of the primary cycle, Huckabee on Tuesday said it was not up to the U.S. to embrace Syrian refugees with open arms.
“If we’re going to do something for the Syrians, lets find out who they are, let’s build an encampment for them, but closer to where they live rather then bringing them here when they don’t know the language or the culture."'
“If we’re going to do something for the Syrians, lets find out who they are, let’s build an encampment for them, but closer to where they live rather then bringing them here when they don’t know the language or the culture," Huckabee said.
The Obama administration has said that it will accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees. But Huckabee said Tuesday that the U.S. has enough of a problem dealing with homelessness, and should not accept more refugees.
He went on to claim that one in five refugees intercepted in Europe are not from Syria, but rather neighboring countries in the region, raising concerns that those refugees may be "ISIS people" in disguise.
"Are we going to open our doors ... give them a place to stay and a good sandwich and medical benefits?" Huckabee said. "I mean, my gosh."