Fox News noted that some Republicans, such as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, have “reacted angrily” to the letter.

We already accept tens of thousand of refugees in this country every year. They have questioned the fitness of indigenous Americans, African Americans, women, and members of other groups to be full, participating citizens. One reason cited by many respondents is a concern that Islamic State terrorists could slip through the US refugee vetting process. According to the State Department, the refugees would be spread across the country. The call, led by White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough, sought to ease their concerns and share details on the federal refugee resettlement process and security screening measures.

Can the sound of fearful Republicans crying for a northern border wall be far behind?

In typical Thanksgiving Day addresses, presidents thank US troops, praise the country and offer encouraging words about generosity and the push for justice and equality.

On the other side of the aisle, Democrats like Minority Leader Harry Reid-whose home state of Nevada is roughly 28 percent Hispanic-lauded the president’s move last November.

The first family also partook in a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, after serving the homeless the night before.

Meriden said calls to stop Syrian refugee resettlement reflect a misunderstanding of the Syrian conflict by Americans.

U.S. President Barack Obama has warned states that they face punitive action if they persist in refusing to accept Syrian refugees. Immigration has taken center stage as an important issue ahead of the 2016 presidential race but reached fever pitch following the deadly Paris attacks earlier this month. Obama stressed in that warnings in that refugees would pose a danger are overblown since people getting in to the country are completely screened.

As the number of immigrants dislocated by the war in Syria grows in Europe, pressure is increasing on the United States to share the burden of resettling refugees from the war pouring into Europe.

The legislation would mandate the top security executives – Federal Bureau of Investigation director, the Department of Homeland Security director, and the director of national intelligence – to make sure that US has no security risk from refugees who will be admitted. The bill would halt this program, as Republicans believe that, in light of the current situation, the national security is at stake.

It also adds that ORR is committed to making sure that refugees receive the assistance and services they need to become “self-sufficient, integrated members of our communities”.