Republican presidential candidates have come out against the U.S. welcoming Palestinian refugees, claiming their culture is incompatible with American values and that they could be terrorists. However, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has not called for raising the number of Palestinians admitted to the U.S., and they remain committed to providing support to refugees entering the U.S., regardless of their nationality or religion. Palestinians may be coming from other parts of the world while they retain their Palestinian citizenship, or they may have been referred as refugees to the U.N. refugee agency by nongovernmental organizations.