Christie won't say whether refugees should be ousted

Gov. Christie wrote a letter to President Obama last week saying he would not accept Syrian refugees and had directed state officials not to participate in the resettlement process. But what about the 75 Syrian refugees already settled in New Jersey this year?

Asked on CNN's State of the Union Sunday whether those refugees should be ousted, Christie didn't answer the question.

"What should have happened is we should have been informed about it," the governor said in a live interview from New Hampshire, where he is campaigning this weekend.

When host Jake Tapper asked again whether he would pursue a plan to oust the refugees, Christie said the U.S. needed to create a no-fly zone over Syria.

President Obama's "inaction, as this has spiraled out of control, has created this crisis," Christie said.

Christie said last week that he did not support accepting any Syrian refugees, including orphans under age 5 – a statement that prompted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to go after Christie, holding up a photo of a dead Syrian child at a press conference.

Christie, who has often feuded with de Blasio, said Sunday the mayor should focus on problems in his own city. "Maybe he should be mayor of Damascus," Christie said.

While Christie signed a law in New Jersey to ban people on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns, he said Sunday that he did not support similar federal legislation, saying the matter should be decided state by state.

Asked whether the U.S. needed to change its rules of engagement – even if it meant putting civilians at risk – Christie said, "ISIS doesn't seem to be concerned about civilian casualties, Jake. We need to get real about this."

The U.S. needs to work with allies and "revise rules of engagement to make sure what we're doing is taking on ISIS in a significant and direct way that will be effective," Christie said.