Obamas invite Syrian refugee to State of the Union Address

President Obama is taking a dramatic step to show he opposes Republican efforts to slow or halt the admission of refugees over terrorist concerns: He has invited a Syrian refugee to attend his State of the Union Address.

Refaai Hamo, 55, a native of Syria now living in Detroit, will sit in first lady Michelle Obama's box in the House of Representatives gallery for Tuesday night's speech. Hamo drew international attention last month after he was featured in the popular blog "Humans of New York."

The scientist fled Syria's civil war in 2013 after his family home was destroyed by a bomb, killing his wife, daughter and five other relatives. He developed stomach cancer and had trouble getting treatment in Turkey, where he and millions of other Syrians have fled. After two years, he was approved for refugee status in the United States and arrived in Detroit last month.

His ordeal prompted Obama to call him "an inspiration," and actor Edward Norton organized a fundraising drive for him.

"I was thrilled when I heard that President Barack Obama is welcoming us into the United States," Hamo said in a statement. "I felt that hope was revived as well as the strength to continue my dreams and ambition in my new country. I am so proud and honored to be in this country and look forward to one day becoming an American citizen so that we can be part of making America a strong and great country."

The invitation creates a sharp contrast to Republicans who want to block refugees from war-ravaged Middle East nations because Islamic State radicals and other terrorists might try to sneak into the country by claiming refugee status.

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Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has called for a temporary ban on admitting Muslims until the U.S. government can "figure out what is going on." House Republicans passed a bill in November to temporarily halt Syrian and Iraqi refugee programs and to screen future applicants more carefully.

Those fears ramped up when a group of Syrians was caught along the southwestern border and another group of U.S.-bound Syrians was stopped in Honduras using fake passports. Last week, the arrest of two Iraqi-born refugees in the United States on terrorism charges brought the issue back to the forefront.

"It's like my grandfather said, if there's a hole in the bucket, turn the spigot off first, then fix the bucket," Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., co-author of the SAFE Act passed by the House, said on MSNBC's MTP Daily on Friday.

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The White House says such a delay is unnecessary because the screening process for people from Syria, Iraq and other countries inhabited by Islamist extremists is already strong enough to ensure the security of the homeland. Refugees from Syria, for example, go through 18 to 24 months of interviews and background checks before they're granted refugee status in the U.S.

The State Department says that the vast majority of Syrian refugees admitted are women and children and that only a tiny fraction fit the typical terrorist profile: single, young men.

On Friday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said any attempt to halt that program and screen people based on "some sort of religious test" is wrong.

"It doesn't represent who we are as a country," Earnest said. "And most importantly, it's not going to keep us safe."