The White House has agreed to look again at some visa procedures, but insists that refugees in particular are well vetted and have not proven a threat.
Obama — who himself has lived outside the United States and is the son of a migrant father from Kenya and a mother who lived in Indonesia — has bristled at efforts to curb the flow of migrants.
“In the Mexican immigrant today, we see the Catholic immigrant of a century ago,” he said. “In the Syrian seeking refuge today, we should see the Jewish refugee of World War II.”
Listing instances of past discrimination against Japanese, Irish and Italian immigrants, Obama said, “on days like today, we need to resolve to never repeat mistakes like that again.”
Officials describing Obama’s approach point to parallels between today’s boiling immigration debate and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Then, politicians had clamored to demand a ban on travelers coming from affected areas, while Obama resisted.
“He doesn’t give in to the hysteria of the moment,” insisted a senior administration official.
That, Obama’s allies say, contrasts with Republicans who voted for an increase in refugee admissions after Syrian toddler Aylan al-Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach, only to reverse course after the Paris attacks.
But with the 2016 election around the corner, Democrats also spot a political opportunity to paint Republicans as anti-immigrant.
With the United States demographically shifting to become less white, Republicans can scarcely risk further alienating minority voters, who currently vote Democrat in droves.
The White House may be quietly hoping that Tuesday’s debate brings more stark rhetoric.
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