White House promises Christie: Vetting for refugees ‘extraordinarily thorough’

As Gov. Christie keeps up his criticism of President Obama over Syrian refugees, Secretary of State John Kerry responded to Christie's letter saying New Jersey wouldn't accept Syrian refugees.

NJ.com reports that Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson both assures Christie in the letter that "our highest priority is the protection of the American people," adding that "We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure our nation lives up to its humanitarian heritage while keeping the American people safe."

The letter reportedly went on to say the vetting of refugees — "the most vulnerable of individuals — is extraordinarily thorough and comprehensive. It is the most robust screening process for any category of individuals seeking admittance into the United States."

According to multiple reports from other states, several other governors received similar letters.

Earlier in the week, Christie was one of several governors telling President Obama that their states would not accept additional refugees from Syria over concerns about the vetting process.

But Lavinia Limon, president and CEO of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigration, has the Associated Press that under the Refugee Act of 1980, governors cannot legally block refugees.

The fingerprints of one of the attackers in Paris were found to match those of a Syrian refugee who passed through Greece in October, and that attacker left behind a Syrian passport authorities believe to be faked.

According to recent statistics compiled by the United Nations, there are more than 4.2 million registered Syrian refugees. Of those, 49.7 percent are male, and 50.3 percent are female. About half are children under 17 years of age. In all, about 22 percent are males between the ages of 18 and 59.

Obama accused the governors of political posturing and promised to veto a bill passed by Congress to require the FBI to conduct background checks on Syrian and Iraqi refugees. It would oblige the heads of the FBI and Homeland Security Department and the director of national intelligence to certify to Congress that each refugee “is not a threat to the security of the United States.”

During a campaign town hall in New Hampshire on Saturday, Christie kept up his attacks on Obama and said it was "almost funny to be lectured by the President of the United States" accusing him of being afraid of "widows and orphans."

Christie said that he is concerned about "the widows and orphans of Sept. 11" in New Jersey and does not want another generation of them created by terrorist attacks.