U.N.: U.S. Campaign Rhetoric Jeopardizing Resettlement of Syrian Refugees

Campaign rhetoric in the United States is harming a vital U.S. resettlement program for Syrian and other refugees fleeing war and persecution, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.

UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming, asked about an overnight call by Republican front-runner Donald Trump to ban Muslims from entering the country, said that dozens of U.S. governors had spoken out against the resettlement program.

“We are concerned that the rhetoric that is being used in the election campaign is putting an incredibly important resettlement program at risk that is meant for the most vulnerable people – the victims of wars that the world is unable to stop,” Fleming told a news briefing in Geneva.