GOP Candidate Bobby Jindal Slams Obama Administration On Syrian Refugees, Paris Attacks
Republican Bobby Jindal wears a couple of political hats these days. As both governor of Louisiana and a contender for the GOP presidential nomination, the prominent Republican represents a lot of interests, as well. Consequently, it can sometimes prove difficult to ascertain if Jindal is actively representing the interests of his home-state constituents or simply engaging in rhetorical polemics when he makes a high-profile political pronouncement like the open letter that he recently sent to President Barack Obama.
According to The American Bazaar, GOP Hopeful Bobby Jindal is urging President Obama to hold off on allowing Syrian refugees into the United States in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris. In his correspondence, Jindal noted that New Orleans received its first batch of Syrian refugees last week and requested information regarding the background and selection of those who were allowed passage into the United States.
“As Governor of Louisiana, I demand information about the Syrian refugees being placed in Louisiana in hopes that the night of horror in Paris is not duplicated here,” Jindal said.
In the letter dated November 14, Jindal also referenced initial reports that some attackers held Syrian passports. On November 15, reports emerged that at least one of the Paris attackers gained entry into Europe in a wave of Syrian refugees. A Reuters report indicates that the subject traveled through Greece and the Balkans on his way to Paris.
To Jindal, the entry of Syrians into the United States – including his home state of Louisiana – is cause for alarm or, at the very least, increased screening and monitoring. He also took the opportunity to overtly criticize the Obama Administration for how the refugee crisis has been handled to date.
“Americans, we embolden freedom and opportunity to the rest of the world, but by opening up our borders and refusing to collaborate or share information with states,” said Jindal. He added that President Obama is “threatening that reality.”
As noted in an earlier piece by the New York Times, the United States has taken in 1,500 Syrian refugees over the course of the four-year conflict in that country. The Obama administration has pledged to increase the number of worldwide refugees the United States accepts annually to 100,000 by 2017. The current annual cap is 70,000, with the largest groups coming from Iraq, Somalia, and Bhutan.
Bobby Jindal is not alone in his concerns regarding the Paris attacks and the flow of refugees from Syria, although some public expressions of anger and fear have been considerably less diplomatic. As previously noted by Inquisitr, actor Rob Lowe faced backlash after posting a tweet implicitly criticizing French President Hollende’s handling of the country’s borders prior to the terror attacks. He later maintained that “cyber trolls” misinterpreted his sentiments.
WWE Hall of Famer Sunny Sytch took to Facebook in the hours following the Paris attacks, with a jaw-dropping call for a “second Holocaust” to rid the world of Islam. She later apologized for offending anyone, attributing her suggestion that 1.6 billion people should be “extinguished” to an “off-color sense of humor.”
Even if Jindal’s public jousts with President Obama garner some kind of resolutions for his constituents in Louisiana, he needs a significant boost to break into the top tier of contention for the GOP nomination. A recent poll of New Hampshire voters shows Bobby Jindal at 1 percent. Donald Trump leads the pack with 29 percent. An October poll showed that Louisiana voters would select Democrat Hillary Clinton over Bobby Jindal in a general election.
[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
