Carson has previously strongly opposed the United States’ acceptance of Syrian refugees.
Advertisement
Carson, who ranks fourth in the Washington Examiner’s power rankings for the Republican presidential primary, placed first in the field according to some polling in mid-November.
The retired pediatric neurosurgeon is also bringing soccer balls and Beanie Babies for children in the camp and visiting a women’s and girl’s center, according to the Times.
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, facing increased scrutiny over his views on foreign policy, flew to Jordan overnight on Thursday.
Carson says the risk of terrorists entering the country through the refugee process – which takes 18 months to two years to complete – is too great and that the US should instead establish “safe zones” in the Middle East and Syria where refugees can find protection. In his comments, Carson attempted to couch his criticism with a context that interspersed sympathy with concerns regarding security.
“If there’s a rabid dog running around in your neighborhood, you’re probably not going to assume something good about that dog…” Carson’s spokespeople told the Times that their candidate wants to better understand the refugee crisis stemming from the Syrian Civil War. Carson rose to prominence in the conservative tea party movement after repudiating the president’s health care law in front of Obama during the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast.
The New York Times reports that the GOP front-runner hopes to bolster his foreign policy credentials with firsthand knowledge of the ongoing refugee crisis. Clarridge lamented that “nobody has been able to sit down with [Ben Carson] and have him get one iota of intelligent information about the Middle East”.
The Carson campaign said there would be no public events but it may release pictures and a statement after the visit.
Ben Carson is accompanied by Secret Service agents on his trip to Jordan, as that government agency recently began providing protection for the presidential candidate.
Advertisement
Carson is scheduled to return to the United States late Saturday, Bennett said.
