Obama Thanksgiving message likens refugees to pilgrims

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama Thursday urged Americans to open their hearts to refugees in his Thanksgiving message to the nation, likening them to the pilgrims the holiday celebrates.

"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 in his weekly address, referring to the boat on which the first pilgrims reached the New World.