Obama compares refugees to pilgrims on Thanksgiving

  • 27/11/2015
US President Barack Obama applauds after pardoning the National Thanksgiving turkey "Abe" in the Rose Garden of the White House (Reuters)
US President Barack Obama applauds after pardoning the National Thanksgiving turkey "Abe" in the Rose Garden of the White House (Reuters)

Us President Barack Obama delivers a Thanksgiving message in which he say the world is still full of pilgrims, referring to modern refugees.

US President Barack Obama has delivered a Thanksgiving message in which he compared modern refugees to the pilgrims whom the holiday celebrates, urging Americans to open their arms to the potential immigrants.

"Nearly four centuries after the Mayflower set sail, the world is still full of pilgrims - men and women who want nothing more than the chance for a safer, better future for themselves and their families," Obama said on Thursday in his weekly address, referring to the boat on which the pilgrims arrived in the New World.

Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the group after fleeing religious persecution in England. For many Americans, it has become a family-oriented day marked with an enormous meal of roast turkey, an assortment of side dishes and a slice or two of pie.

"I've been touched by the generosity of the Americans who've written me letters and emails in recent weeks, offering to open their homes to refugees fleeing the brutality of ISIL," Obama said, referring to the Islamic State group.

Immigration has taken centre stage as an important issue ahead of the 2016 presidential race but reached fever pitch following the deadly Paris attacks earlier this month.

The shootings and suicide bombings have stirred fears in North America and Europe that jihadists could seek to blend in with refugees in order to strike later.

Obama himself faces a barrage of opposition to his own plan to resettle 10,000 refugees in the coming year.

"People should remember that no refugee can enter our borders until they undergo the highest security checks of anyone travelling to the United States," Obama said.

"That was the case before Paris, and it's the case now."

AFP