DHAKA: Attempts to block the entry of Syrian refugees into United States are ‘offensive and contrary to American values’.

US President Barack Obama said on Wednesday, reports Al Jazeera.

Some lawmakers have threatened to suspend the Obama administration’s efforts to allow 10,000 more Syrian refugees into the country as anti-refugee rhetoric escalates from dozens of US governors and Republican presidential hopefuls in the wake of Friday’s attacks on Paris.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Philippine capital, Manila, the US president accused politicians at home of trying to score political points over the issue.

‘We are not well served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic. We don’t make good decisions if it’s based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks,’ Obama said.

Calls are growing for close vetting of refugees from Syria in case they are linked to groups such as Islamic State (IS) of Iraq and Syria, which claimed responsibility for the Paris attack that killed 129 people.

Security forces remained on full alert in Manila as the APEC leaders’ meeting kicked off on Wednesday.

BDST: 1226 HRS, Nov 18, 2015
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** US state governors refuse to accept Syrian refugees