Republican presidential candidates Ben Carson and Scott Walker, who oppose President Obama’s plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees, stretched the facts to support their policy position.
Stretching Facts on Syrian Refugees
Issues: refugees
Resettling Syrian Refugees
Q: Are 65,000 Syrian refugees being relocated to the U.S.?
A: No. The Obama administration says 1,000 to 2,000 Syrians will likely be resettled in the United States by the end of September, and at least 10,000 more in 2016.
H.R. 1388 Passed ‘Behind Our Backs?’
Q: Was H.R. 1388 passed “behind our backs”?
A: This latest e-rumor is a double-header. It recycles one false claim and alludes to another. We’ve debunked both before.
Social Security for Immigrants and Refugees
Q: Do immigrants and refugees get more in benefits than a retired U.S. citizen gets in Social Security?
A: This is nonsense. The claims propagated by a viral e-mail are not even close to the truth.
Hamas Refugee Assistance
Q: Did Obama pay for Hamas-affiliated terrorists to emigrate to the United States?
A: This claim is false. The president’s memorandum to the State Department would pay for refugee assistance in Gaza, not for transporting anyone to the U.S.
Refugees Don’t Get $1,800 Per Month
Q: Does the U.S. pay $1,800 a month to refugees?
A: No. A false claim about Canada is being recycled in a bogus e-mail to “American taxpayers.”