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.”

Written by Media Matters Staff

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:

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): Meanwhile, Senator Elizabeth Warren from the great state of Massachusetts had this observation regarding what's going on: “If @RealDonaldTrump truly wants to help Syrians fleeing murderers, he should drop his effort to ban their children from America immediately.” In other words, let us open our arms to the Syrian refugees, many of whom have absolutely no paperwork.

BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Right, the problem is not the kids coming over. It's the parents with the kids that we know nothing about. His first obligation is to keep Americans safe. I think[United Nations] Ambassador [Nikki] Haley addressed that directly. And that's just an overall “let me take a swipe at the president.”