text: Ben Carson, who is facing increasing scrutiny over his grasp of foreign policy, is traveling to Jordan on Friday to visit Syrian refugees, in order to gain an understanding of the pressing issue and to polish his candidacy. 
   
   “I find when you have firsthand knowledge of things as opposed to secondhand, it makes a much stronger impression,” Mr. Carson said in an interview before his departure, planned for late Thanksgiving Day on a charter aircraft. 
   
   In a surprise visit, he plans to go to the Azraq refugee camp in northern Jordan, where he will visit a clinic and a hospital. He is bringing soccer balls and Beanie Babies to distribute to children. 
   
   Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, was leading in some state and national polls before the Paris terror attacks, but his support has dropped with national security concerns looming larger in the Republican nominating race. In Iowa in particular, Donald J. Trump, who called for a registry of Muslims in America, has taken the lead in polls, and Senator Ted Cruz, who has harshly criticized President Obama over the rise of the Islamic State, has jumped into second place. ||||| Play Facebook 
   
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   Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson will go to Jordan Friday to visit Syrian refugees, campaign officials said Thursday. 
   
   The New York Times first reported that Carson plans to visit a refugee camp in northern Jordan. Campaign officials confirmed the trip on Thursday night. 
   
   "I find when you have firsthand knowledge of things as opposed to secondhand, it makes a much stronger impression," Carson told the Times before his departure. 
   
   Related: Carson Aides Admit Candidate Needs Work on Foreign Policy 
   
   For months, Carson has been strongly opposed to the United States accepting Syrian refugees, asking Congress to defund any programs that promote refugees coming to America. 
   
   He also was criticized for comparing security concerns with refugees to worries over "a rabid dog running around your neighborhood." 
   
   "We have to have in place screening mechanisms that allow us to determine who the mad dogs are, quite frankly," Carson said. 
   
   PHOTOS - On the Stump: Ben Carson's Presidential Campaign 
   
   In recent weeks, the retired neurosurgeon has faced questions over his depth of foreign policy knowledge. 
   
   At the last Republican presidential debate, Carson suggested that China was involved in Syria. He later tried to clarify that claim, and said only some Chinese military equipment is being used there. 
   
   A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed that support for Ben Carson in Iowa dropped 10 points since October, when he stood in first place. Carson has since slipped behind Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, in the state the campaign sees as essential.
target: – Ben Carson will try to prove he has a handle on foreign affairs during a surprise visit with Syrian refugees in Jordan on Friday. "I find when you have firsthand knowledge of things as opposed to secondhand, it makes a much stronger impression," Carson told the New York Times before setting off for the UN refugee camp in Azraq on Thursday. NBC News also confirmed the trip. "I want to hear some of their stories, I want to hear from some of the officials what their perspective is," he said. "All of that is extraordinarily useful in terms of formulating an opinion of how to actually solve the problem." He added he'll be handing out soccer balls and Beanie Babies as he visits a clinic, hospital, women's and girls' center, and an "adolescent-friendly space." He's expected to return to the US on Sunday. Since the Paris terror attacks, Carson's poll numbers have been dropping, especially in Iowa where he was once leading. One Quinnipiac University poll shows him down 10 points since October, perhaps due to concerns about his grasp on foreign policy. Asked if voters felt he wasn't the right person to lead when terrorism fears are high, Carson said, "I would agree with that assessment," but "that's why it's a good thing it's a marathon, not a sprint. As time goes on they will begin to listen more carefully to what I'm saying." Carson recently drew heat for explaining that he opposes accepting Syrian refugees into the US because the result could be "a rabid dog running around in your neighborhood." He also seemed baffled when asked to name the countries he would call to form an anti-Islamic State coalition.