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Murphy: Syrian Refugees Could Turn to Islamic State for 'Nutritional Benefits'

September 14, 2015

Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) told Fox News Sunday that refugees of the Syrian civil war could turn to enemies like Islamic State or al Qaeda for "nutritional benefits" or a "paycheck" if the United States fails to assist them.

"We have a responsibility because it's in our national security interests," Murphy said. "The fact is that when there isn't help for these refugees from the United States or our partners, they turn to others that are offering help, like ISIS, like al Qaeda, to give them a paycheck, to give them nutritional benefits for their kids. And so if we're not on the ground helping in some way, shape or form, then ultimately we're just pushing a lot of these individuals into the hands of our enemy."

Migrants from the war-torn country are flooding into Europe, with CNN reporting some 4.1 million Syrians have fled their homeland in the past four years.

Full exchange:

CHRIS WALLACE: One could argue Vietnam was our problem. We broke it, if you will. Is this our problem, the Syrian refugee crisis?

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY: So I don't you think you can say the Syrian war wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the invasion of Iraq, but we certainly contributed to the ongoing mess in that region and inside Syria because of our occupation, our invasion, which after a set of circumstances, led to the development of ISIS.

WALLACE: But this is a civil war against Bashar Assad.

MURPHY: Which is made much worse by the presence of ISIS inside Syria. I don't think the United States bears sole responsibility, but I think our invasion was a contributing factor, and thus I think we have a responsibility. But also, we have a responsibility because it's in our national security interests. The fact is that when there isn't help for these refugees from the United States or our partners, they turn to others that are offering help, like ISIS, like al Qaeda, to give them a paycheck, to give them nutritional benefits for their kids. And so if we're not on the ground helping in some way, shape or form, then ultimately we're just pushing a lot of these individuals into the hands of our enemy.