Barack Obama has a message for Republicans who only want to let Syrian Christians into America

The Paris terror attacks have sparked new concern about refugees fleeing the Middle East for Europe.

Not concern for the refugees, but the fact terrorists could be slipping past borders under the guise of those trying to leave violence and devastation behind them.

This sentiment has crossed the Atlantic, with some Republican presidential candidates suggesting the US only admits Syrian Christians as refugees.

Jeb Bush said Syrian Christians were among the most persecuted groups in the region, and Ted Cruz said there was no "meaningful risk" from Christians.

Meanwhile two Republican governors have put anti-refugee measures in place in light of the Paris attacks.

The terror attacks have coincided with the G20 summit in Antalya, where Isis and how to defeat it would already have been top of the agenda.

Addressing the media, US president Barack Obama expressed dismay at the remarks from Bush and Cruz, among others.

When I hear folks say that maybe we should just admit the Christians, but not the Muslims, when I hear political leaders suggesting that there would be a religious test for which person who is fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted, when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they were fleeing political persecution, that’s shameful.

That’s not American. That’s not who we are. we don’t have religious tests to our compassion.

Obama added:

The people who are fleeing Syria are the most harmed by terrorism, they are the most vulnerable. They are the most vulnerable as a consequence of civil war and strife. They are parents, they are children, they are orphans.

Watch the video below:

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