John McCain says the religion of Syrian refugee children shouldn't matter

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on Tuesday that he does not agree with his fellow Republicans who want to let only Christian refugees from Syria into the United States.

"I don't think any child, whether they are Christian or whether they are atheist or whether they are Buddhist, that we should make a distinction," he said. "My belief is that all children are God's children." President Obama took the same stance Monday, saying when he hears "political leaders suggesting there should be a religious test for which a person fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted — that's shameful."

On Sunday, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) said he believed only Christian refugees should be able to enter the country because "there is no meaningful risk of Christians committing acts of terror." His fellow presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, said on CNN's State of the Union Sunday the U.S. "should focus our efforts as it relates to refugees on the Christians that are being slaughtered," but on Tuesday told Bloomberg Politics "the answer to this is not to ban people from coming. The answer is to lead, to resolve the problem in Syria."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up