And although recent ISIS-linked attacks in nearby cities have some residents concerned for their personal safety — and nervous that the horrors of ISIS will infiltrate Turkey next — most are grateful for the temporary refuge that Turkey has provided them.

"I don’t think he understands that a lot of Syrians are trying to flee ISIS — not join ISIS," said Dina, a student from Aleppo who is now living in Beirut. "It is pretty scary he is trying to be the president of such a powerful country."

Abed is a radio journalist originally from Aleppo who is now based in Gaziantep. As a journalist, Abed said he spent the summer obsessively covering the refugee crisis by breaking stories of sinking boats and closing borders for both a general audience as well as his own friends and community — many of whom left everything behind to make the journey and seek asylum in Europe.

His own close-up view of the crisis is one reason Abed said he is horrified by Trump's stance.

"He has no humanity — especially when it comes to Syrians," Abed said. "Also, he seems to live a snobbish life separated from reality. These kinds of people have no idea what is really happening — and he doesn’t want to know, and he does not care. He is cocky and arrogant, and doesn’t love anyone except himself."