Nikki Haley: Syrian Refugees Ultimately ‘Want to Be Home’

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley pushed back against renewed criticisms of President Donald Trump’s temporary refugee ban Sunday, saying the president will remain committed to “keeping Americans safe [while] also trying to do what he can to protect innocent civilian citizens in Syria.”

After the regime of Bashar al-Assad launched a chemical attack on civilians last week, killing more than 80 Syrians civilians including children, Trump said images of the dead children “crossed a lot of lines for me,” adding that, “I will tell you that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me — big impact.”

“And so I think that you’re seeing the president handle both of those responsibly, and I think he’s keeping Americans safe and he’s also trying to do what he can to protect innocent civilian citizens in Syria.”

“When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, babies, little babies, with a chemical gas that is so lethal — people were shocked to hear what gas it was,” Trump had told reporters in the Rose Garden. “That crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line, many, many lines.”

The president subsequently decided to launch a limited missile strike Thursday evening against the base where the Syrian chemical attack reportedly originated. Since the U.S. strike, many Democrats have used Trump’s comments on protecting children as a fresh opportunity to criticize Trump for his policy on refugees.

“I also hope that they will recognize that we cannot in one breath speak of protecting Syrian babies and in the next close America’s doors to them,” former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said during an event in Texas Friday evening.

CNN’s “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper pressed Haley to square Trump’s heartfelt concern for civilians attacks by Assad with his pause on migration from terror hotspots, including Syria, to the United States.

“I understand wanting more intense vetting. I certainly get that,” Tapper added. “But if we’re talking about ‘beautiful babies’ being slaughtered, why not allow Syrian refugees who are children, or maybe their mothers, to come in after they’ve been vetted?”

Haley said the president’s first priority will always be the safety of American citizens.

“That is, that is very strong with him. That’s something he wants to do,” Haley told Tapper. “So when this refugee situation came up, he actually challenged the community … and challenged his team, and said, ‘Prove to me that you can vet properly so that we can keep American people safe.’ And I think in these areas, they said that they could not vet properly. They said they did not have enough information.”

“And I think you’ve got a president here that is not going to risk American lives … and have that threat when it cannot be properly vetted,” Haley added. “But you also see a president who is compassionate, who is very much not going to put up with violations in chemical-weapons use because he saw that this week very much as not only a national security risk, but also an international security risk.”

Tapper tried to trip Haley, asking, “But certainly you don’t think that Syrian children pose a risk to the American people?”

Haley quickly pointed out “Syrian children have to come with Syrian adults.”

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“And you don’t know. It’s hard to know based on the vetting process. And that’s unfortunate that we can’t find that out,” Haley said. “But hopefully we’ll get to the point that we can.”

Haley said the ultimate goal for Syrian refugees should be to return to their homeland once the conflict is ended.

“At the end of the day, we need to remember Syrians don’t want to live somewhere else. They want to be home. They want to be with their family. They want to be with their loved ones,” Haley said. “And that’s the focus of why the airstrike happened this time.”

“And so I think that you’re seeing the president handle both of those responsibly, and I think he’s keeping Americans safe and he’s also trying to do what he can to protect innocent civilian citizens in Syria,” Haley added.