WATCH: (Scroll Down For Video) Barack Obama has now compares Syrian refugees to Pilgrims on the Mayflower during his Thanksgiving address.
He also urged Americans to show generosity to those who are fleeing the war-torn country.
The President said those who came to America in 1620 were themselves fleeing persecution before quoting from citizens who said they were ready to accommodate refugees.
‘Nearly four centuries after the Mayflower set sail, the world is still full of pilgrims – men and women who want nothing more than the chance for a safer, better future for themselves and their families,’ Obama said in his address.
Since the Paris attacks, Americans now identify terrorism as the most important problem facing the country, Reuters-Ipsos polling shows.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to suspend the refugee plan and intensify refugee screening measures before lawmakers left Washington for the Thanksgiving break.
Several Republican candidates for the November 2016 presidential election have also said the refugees pose a risk.
‘People should remember that no refugee can enter our borders until they undergo the highest security checks of anyone traveling to the United States,’ Obama said in his address.
‘One woman from Pennsylvania wrote me to say, ‘Money is tight for us in my household … But I have a guest room. I have a pantry full of food. We can do this,” Obama said.
