After receiving criticism from Republicans for not taking a stance on the U.S. acceptance of Syrian refugees, Democratic Senate candidate Ted Strickland said that a short-term pause in the resettlement of refugees from Syria would be "reasonable."
In a campaign statement provided to the Associated Press, Strickland said that he would support a short-term pause in the flow of Syrian refugees into the United States but warned that debate should not turn into "a political issue full of the usual fear-mongering and demagoguery."
"While I do not believe we can close our doors in the face of such a large-scale humanitarian crisis, I do believe it is reasonable to have a short-term pause in the program until our security experts can conduct a full-scale review and provide the American people with the assurances that it is safe," Strickland stated.
"We cannot allow this to become a political issue full of the usual fear-mongering and demagoguery."
Strickland, a former governor of Ohio, is running to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Rob Portman in Ohio next year.
As of Wednesday morning, Strickland had not taken a stance on the issue as lawmakers, most of them Republican, raised security concerns following the terror attacks in Paris that killed and wounded hundreds last Friday. Many have argued the United States should stop admitting refugees from Syria after Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks.
The Islamic State controls swaths of territory in Syria, and French officials said Monday that one of the suicide bombers in the Paris attacks gained entry to Europe using a fake Syrian passport and posing as a refugee fleeing the civil war there.
Several terror-related arrests have been made in Ohio in recent weeks. Last week, an Akron resident was arrested on federal charges for soliciting the murder of 100 U.S. military members after allegedly expressing support for the Islamic State.
The week prior, four men were charged in Ohio for conspiring to give money to known al Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki to support terror attacks. Two of the individuals are U.S. citizens, one of whom lived in the United Arab Emirates. A third is a resident of the United Arab Emirates who is married to a U.S. citizen, and the fourth is an Indian citizen and U.S. resident.
Ohio received 48 refugees from Syria through President Obama’s resettlement program in the last fiscal year, according to Ohio’s Department of Job and Family Services, the Columbus Dispatch reported. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate, has, like dozens of other U.S. governors, moved to block Syrian refugees from settling in the state amid security concerns following the Paris attacks.
Both of Strickland’s opponents weighed in on the issue before he did.
Portman demanded Monday that the Obama administration stop the resettlements of refugees from Syria until "there has been a thorough review of [Department of Homeland Security] and State Department vetting procedures to ensure that no terrorists or individuals with links to Islamist extremist groups make it into the United States, as they have in France."
Meanwhile, Strickland’s Democratic primary opponent, Cincinnati city councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, called for the United States to implement "vigorous security screening and vetting" of the refugees from Syria but accused Republicans of "playing politics" with the Paris attacks. His statement, issued at least a day prior to Strickland’s, also warned against "fear-mongering."
"Our first priority must be the safety and security of the American people," Sittenfeld said in a statement provided by his campaign. "As the president said, refugees must be subjected to vigorous security screening and vetting, including by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI, Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense."
"Shame on Rob Portman and most of the rest of the GOP for playing politics with the tragedy in Paris. We must not be guided by bigotry or fear-mongering. As a nation we can welcome refugees, while upholding our values and ensuring our security. Vigilance and compassion can and must go hand in hand."
A representative for the Strickland campaign did not immediately respond to a Washington Free Beacon request for comment.