A debate over Syrian refugees in the U.S. flared up in the wake of the Paris attacks. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he'd no longer accept any refugees from Syria. Then members of the U.S. House passed a bill that would further slow the process for Syrian refugees coming to America, out of fear that terrorists might be hiding among them. 

One Syrian refugee now in New Jersey is Hussam Al Roustom, who arrived with his wife and two children in Jersey City this past June after spending three years in a refugee camp in Jordan. He works a 12-hour, over-night shift at a bakery. He's grateful to be in the U.S. now and said he understands lawmaker's concerns, but said they shouldn't close the door.

"It's okay to make it more difficult, that's okay, but you have to let people in, even if it's more difficult," he said, speaking through a translator.

Refugees like Al Roustom are grateful for being given the chance to live a normal life after years of war, "for giving him his dignity back. This is a man who lost his house, his business that he owned," said Mahmoud Mahmoud, the director of Church World Service, the resettlement agency that helped Al Roustom's family settle in New Jersey. 

Mahmoud said he doubts that terrorists could slip in as refugees. Before even stepping foot in the U.S., refugees are selected by the UN Refugee Agency and reviewed by five federal agencies.

"Refugees are the most vetted individuals to come to the U.S., legally, more than any other individual to enter the U.S.," Mahmoud said.

The State Department said processing refugees can take 18 to 24 months, but Mahmoud said in his experience it can range from four to 17 years.

Since 2011, when fighting in Syria began, there have over 2,000 refugees accepted to the U.S. The state department tends to place refugees in less expensive cities like Atlanta, San Diego and Dallas. But 92 refugees have landed in New Jersey.

Christie built up some goodwill in Paterson, a city with an established middle-eastern community, with his appointment of a Muslim judge in 2011. But after his comments this week on Syrian refugees, many residents have soured on the governor. "I don't think orphans under five, are being, should be admitted into the United States at this point," Christie said. "They have no family here. How are we going to care for these folks?"  

"I feel that he's a racist bastard. That's what I feel. I feel he should have some mercy on people," said Ali Ahmed, a Palestinian immigrant who lives in Paterson.

Others, like Wessley Bailey, who was born and raised in Paterson, also disagree with Christie. "I don't care, 'cause this is America, to me everybody should be allowed, if they check out." 

That's the issue before the U.S. Senate now: whether the country should allow Syrian refugees or halt them all together until more stringent measures are put in place. They're expected to vote after Thanksgiving. But President Obama has vowed to veto the bill.