All have received at least 30,000 refugees over the past decade, according to the State Department.
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Meanwhile, 50 Assembly Republicans called on President Barack Obama to suspend the Syrian refugee program.
According to government statistics, the US has taken about 2,150 Syrians since October 1, 2011 – most in the a year ago. Spokesman Tony Venhuizen says it’s not at all clear that the state would have any say over the refugee program, which the federal government manages. They were a complete reversal from September, when the Republican presidential contender said US should “play their role” in taking in refugees without committing to a specific number after a photograph of a dead migrant child humanized the migrant influx.
Rick Snyder is asking the Obama administration for a “full review” of security clearances for refugees who could be placed in MI.
She said with more than 3 million refugees admitted in the US since the 1970’s there has never been a terrorist act perpetrated on USA soil by someone who was admitted through the resettlement program. Even Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who welcomes immigrants and refugees to Georgia, says it’s time for the US government to step up the vetting process of Syrian refugees.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called for an immediate halt and wrote he was “invoking our state’s right…to receive immediate consultation by federal authorities” to address the state’s concerns.
“It’s also important to remember that these attacks are the efforts of extremists and do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world”, Snyder said.
Gov. Terry Branstad says Syrian refugees shouldn’t be resettled in Iowa until there is a federal review to ensure safety.
The Homeland Security Department said refugees being accepted into the United States are subject to the highest level of security screening of anyone coming to the U.S. It added officials will continue to consult with states to allay concerns they have about security.
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who chairs the Judiciary Committee, has proposed blocking resettlement funds in the year-end spending bill until the intelligence community vets Syrian refugee screening.
In Poland, a newly installed conservative government, which has been opposed to an EU-imposed quota of migrants, hinted Saturday that it will not accept quotas imposed by the European Union, although the country’s new prime minister, Beata Szydlo, said Monday after being sworn in that she would honor the prior government’s commitments.
Legal experts whether Walker has the authority to block Syrians from relocating to Wisconsin, but suggested that he could refuse to provide services to them – an action that could have the same effect. “We have simply instructed all of our state agencies not to process any paperwork or anything relating to that”, Deal said.
Louisiana governor and GOP presidential candidate Bobby Jindal complained bitterly in an open letter to Obama that the federal government had not informed his government about refugees being relocated to his state last week. Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear says Kentucky should do “the Christian thing” and welcome all refugees who have passed extensive background checks. “People aren’t going to the (state) border. If we pull up stakes, the rest of the world will, and the terrorists win”.
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Szymanski’s statement comes as the first of 20,000 Syrian refugees the United Kingdom agreed to home are to land in Britain tomorrow. Jindal is a Republican candidate for president. There may be no people who cling to life more than Syrian refugees, entire families who have boarded rafts and trekked thousands of miles to avoid certain death.
