Obama: Politicians who want to close borders are 'scared of widows and 3-year-old orphans'

In a sharp rebuke to politicians back home, President Obama said Wednesday in Manila that it's "offensive and contrary to American values" to say that only Syrian refugees who are "proven Christians" should be allowed to enter the United States.

Obama was referring to comments made by Republican presidential candidates like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who stated Sunday only Christian refugees from Syria should be welcomed, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who said Monday that Syrian orphans under 5 shouldn't be allowed into the U.S. because "they have no family here" and are not being "appropriately vetted."

"When candidates say we shouldn't admit 3-year-old orphans, that's political posturing," Obama said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. He continued: "These are the same folks often times that say they're so tough that just talking to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin or staring down [ISIS] or using some additional rhetoric will solve the problem — and they're scared of widows and 3-year-old orphans."

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Refugees are not quickly ushered into the U.S., the president said; their applications are vetted by intelligence agencies in a process that takes 18 to 24 months. "We are not well served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic," Obama said. "We don't make good decisions if they're based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks." After the Boston Marathon bombing, he added, the U.S. did not "resort to fear and panic... people went to ball games that same week, and sang the national anthem. That's how you defeat [ISIS] — not trying to divide the country or suggesting that our tradition of compassion should stop now."