“Accordingly, states may not categorically deny ORR-funded benefits and services to Syrian refugees”, the letter said.
Advertisement
Mike Pence has been sued for ordering state agencies to suspend the resettlement programme for Syrian refugees in the US state.
Obama administration officials say their process for screening Syrian refugees is “extraordinarily thorough and comprehensive” in a letter sent to Gov. Greg Abbott after he said he opposed any settlement of refugees in Texas.
The lawsuit said 19 Syrians have been approved for refugee status by the federal government and they are expected to arrive in IN in the next few weeks. And before approval, all applicants from Syria, just like refugees from any nation worldwide seeking refuge in the USA, are subjected to this rigorous scrutiny and an intensive screening process that takes, on average, between 18 and 24 months. But they may have no choice: Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has vowed to stop the House’s measure against Obama’s refugee plan from passing in the Senate.
With the U.S. planning to take in as many as 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next year, any refugee who wants to seek asylum can not apply to be resettled into the United States.
Even though investigators in Paris have determined that not one of the attackers was from Syria or a refugee, Scott is speaking out against Syrians coming into the United States and questioning the White House about the vetting process.
Why: Some lawmakers fear there may not be enough security safeguards to prevent potentially risky travelers from entering the United States using a passport issued by a country that is a USA ally.
“A spokeswoman in the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the resettlement office, said 49 states and the District of Columbia have refugee resettlement programs”, according to the AP.
Taxpayer-funded agencies are ready to help the refugees gain access to welfare programs and enroll their children in local public schools.
Rep. Smith responded during the hearing, saying, “as I say, both the profile and the motive of terrorist organizations, and your admission that there is some risk involved, to me would persuade the administration to go slow, rather than fast, when it comes to admitting individuals who might do us harm”.
Last week, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a bill that increases the restrictions on refugees from Iraq and Syria. The president’s proposal to accept 10,000 refugees is actually quite low given our greater generosity in the past. On a conference call with 33 other governors last week, I urged Obama administration leadership to look for ways to involve states in resettlement, so that states can have confidence in the reliability of the resettlement process.
Advertisement
These were Muslim families who had fled for their lives, trying to outrun Islamic State with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
