EXCLUSIVE: Ben Carson Visits Syrian Refugees in Jordan: ‘We Must Find a Political End to this Conflict’

Carson in Jordon @TheRealBenCarsonTwitter
@RealBenCarson/Twitter

GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson plans to put forward “real solutions” for the United States to help Jordan, which is currently housing 1.4 million refugees, following Carson’s trip to Jordan over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Carson spoke with Syrian refugees and officials during visits to several medical facilities, adding that he was delighted to learn about the humanitarian efforts by other countries to help assist the suffering refugees.

“I was very impressed by the dedication of the staff who work around the clock to provide adequate health for not only the children, but the many adults who are suffering. I know many Syrians and have a daughter-in-law with a Syrian background and it was difficult not to think about the happy lives that they were leading in Syria, before this horrible tragedy befell them and forced them to flee and become refugees,” Carson told Breitbart News in an exclusive statement.”

“We were so kindly received and the hospitality was outstanding,” he added. “The children were playing and learning, but of course the ones who are old enough to remember their homeland still maintained a look of sadness.” Carson continued:

I was delighted to hear of the humanitarian efforts by many other countries who are providing technical assistance, monetary assistance and supplies among other things. I was also proud to learn that the United States government has provided substantial assistance on a humanitarian basis. I believe that the American public and the private sector can do a great deal more by donating to the correct organizations, than they can by calling for the premature importation of thousands of Syrians into a culture that is alien to their’s and into a situation that will make eventual repatriation much more difficult. For a fraction of what we spend on sports and entertainment, we could accomplish one of the greatest humanitarian triumphs in human history.

“The United States must do more,” Carson stated about his trip to Jordan. “Bringing 25,000 refugees to the United States does nothing to solve this crisis. Jordan already houses 1.4 million refugees. Jordan needs and deserves our help.”

Carson said that over the coming days he will put forward what he believes are real solutions “to the problems created in part by the Obama/ Clinton Administrations failed policies.”

“I wanted to come to see with my own eyes this great human tragedy,” Carson stated. “Today I listened to the life struggles of many Syrians who were forced to flee their own homes. I met with medical professionals, humanitarian workers, and government officials. I saw pain on the faces of mothers and children.”

Carson explained that the refugees came to Jordan for safety and that “Jordan is doing an amazing job opening its doors and extending a hand in relief.”

But Carson suggests that the rest of the world needs to do more to help, explaining, “These brave people want nothing more than an end to the war in Syria. They want to go back to their lives. We must find a political end to this conflict.” He went on to say:

Millions of refugees have now been waiting for years for the end of the war to come in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Some are giving up hope that they will ever be able to return to the country. We must keep their hope alive. Until it is safe for them to return home, Jordan is a safe place for them to wait. The kingdom has welcomed them with open arms. But Jordan is a small country. They need the world’s help to feed, educate, and care for these refugees until the war ends.

The Carson campaign had planned the trip to Jordan for several months prior to Carson’s visit.

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