A mayor from Passaic County is decrying Gov. Chris Christie's comments about Syrian refugees.

On Tuesday, the governor said that he would bar Syrian refugees from resettling in New Jersey in the wake of a series of terror attacks in Paris. He sent a letter to President Barack Obama that said that he doesn't believe that background checks are strong enough to ensure safety.

Prospect Park Mayor Mohammed Khairullah, who is Syrian, tells News 12 New Jersey that he was shocked and appalled by Gov. Christie's comments.

"The governor should know the state of New Jersey has thousands of Syrian Americans who contributed to this state," he says.

Mayor Khairullah was never officially a refugee, but says that his family fled the violence in Syria in 1980. He says other Syrians should have that chance.

"They're trying to get away from barrel bombs, constant bombardment; they're trying to find a better life," Mayor Khairullah says.

However, the governor says that better life won't come in New Jersey. In several interviews Tuesday, Gov. Christie criticized President Obama and explained why he did not want refugees in the Garden State.

"I don't trust this president, his homeland security secretary or State Department to properly vet these folks," the governor said while being interviewed on Fox News.

Gov. Christie's anti-refugee stance has garnered criticism from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the ACLU of New Jersey.

The governor is not alone in his thoughts. Governors across the U.S. have threatened to stop accepting Syrian refugees because of the attacks.

So far, New Jersey has accepted 75 Syrian refugees this year, according to data from the Refugee Processing Center.

Legal experts say governors don't have any authority to block resettlements under the Refugee Act of 1980.