Syrian Refugee Family In NJ Fears Getting Kicked Out Of Country
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- For a family in Jersey City, the debate over Syrian refugees is more personal than politics.
Syrian refugees Hussam Al Roustom, his wife Suha and their two children were among the first families to come to the United States, settling in New Jersey this June.
"It was destruction all over the place, dead bodies everywhere," Al Roustom said of Syria, in a translated interview with CBS2's Scott Rapoport.
The family fled Syria in 2013, making their way through the desert to a Jordanian refugee camp and eventually to New Jersey, CBS2's Mary Calvi reported in September.
But now, in light of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's recent remarks on allowing Syrian refugees into the country, Al Roustom said he has concerns over his family's future -- and worries that they will be kicked out of the country.
Mahmoud Mahmoud, the Director of Church World Service, a re-settlement organization that aided the Al Roustom family when they arrived in the states, said the tone and tenor of Christie's remarks are not surprising.
Church World Service was copied on the letter Christie sent to the president, Mahmoud said.
"It's a political season, there's a presidential campaign that's coming up soon," Mahmoud said. "So people are playing to their base."
Mahmoud said he doesn't know if the family can be forced to leave, but the remarks set a troubling tone for refugees like Al Roustom hoping to come to the country.
Al Roustom said what bothers him most is that he now feels all Syrians are being looks at as terrorists -- which he said it unfair.
Al Roustom and his family are among more than 1,500 Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S. so far, with 75 families reportedly in New Jersey. All of the families are a part of President Barack Obama's plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the coming fiscal year.
Christie is one of several governors across the United States calling for a ban on allowing Syrian refugees into the country in wake of the terror attacks in Paris last week that left at least 129 people dead.
"I do not trust this administration to effectively vet the people who are proposed to be coming in in order to protect the safety and security of the American people, so I would not permit them in," Christie said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other Tri-State political leaders have spoken out against Christie's statement. On Tuesday, de Blasio called Christie's comments an 'embarrassment' and advocated to find other ways to tighten security.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said the issue would be voted on next week.
