Fox & Friends: America Shouldn't Help Syrian Refugees Because They “Have Absolutely No Paperwork”
Brian Kilmeade: “The Problem Is Not The Kids Coming Over. It's the Parents With The Kids That We Know Nothing About.”
Published
Fox & Friends hosts Brian Kilmeade and Steve Doocy hyped common right-wing media myths to stoke fear about the United States accepting Syrian refugees. These comments came after President Donald Trump was called out for hypocrisy for citing concern for the “beautiful babies” killed during a chemical weapons attack in Syria as his reason behind launching missiles at a Syrian airfield while simultaneously attempting to ban the same refugees displaced by the conflict from entering the U.S.
During the segment, Doocy suggested that many of the refugees coming into the U.S. “have absolutely no paperwork,” and Kilmeade claimed that “the problem is not the kids coming over. It's the parents with the kids that we know nothing about.” Conservative media figures have repeatedly claimed that the current vetting process for Syrian refugees is non-existant or inadequate. However, as noted by PolitiFact, the vetting process for refugees is “length[y]” and “incredibly controlled.” Additionally, BuzzFeed pointed out, “The U.S. has one of the most robust security screening processes in the world” and the “complex process takes an average of 18 to 24 months.” From the April 10 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends: