At a press conference in Washington with Republican candidate and Texas Sen.
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Abbott, who had championed the original lawsuit, distanced himself from what he called “the attorney general’s decision” to drop the restraining order, and redoubled his commitment to fighting the resettlement of any new Syrian refugees in his state on security grounds.
Texas’ fight with the federal government over Syrian refugees is unfolding against the backdrop of a presidential race in which Cruz has positioned himself as a fierce opponent of their resettlement in the U.S. Cruz is also pushing legislation that would immediately place a three-year moratorium on the U.S. accepting refugees from terrorist strongholds, including Iraq and Syria.
“This makes no sense”, Cruz said of the Obama administration’s plan to allow thousands of Syrian refugees into the U.S.
Campaign rhetoric in the United States is harming a vital USA resettlement program for Syrian and other refugees fleeing war and persecution, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.
“I was able to explain in some detail the plight of this family as well as the role of the Archdiocese’s Refugee and Immigrant Services program in welcoming them to Indianapolis, where the family already has some relatives”.
Syrian refugees must pass through an intensive, 20-step process to be resettled in the United States.
“In my capacity as governor, I will continue to do everything that I can to ensure that refugees from Syria who could pose a danger to the people of the state of Texas will not be allowed to relocate into the state of Texas”, Abbott added.
“ISIS represents the face of evil”, Cruz told reporters during a press conference on Capitol Hill “Yet we have a commander-in-chief who is refusing to acknowledge the enemy, much less confront the enemy, much less do what it takes to defeat the enemy”.
“The family arrived safely in Indianapolis last night”, Tobin wrote in a church statement Tuesday morning, saying that he had “prayerfully considered” the governor’s request.
The family’s arrival was closely watched because it comes after Texas officials said they wanted to ban new Syrian refugees following the deadly November 13 Paris attacks.
A tired family of six got a new home yesterday, despite the fear and panic shown by the Texas state government officials who tried to keep them out.
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) statement said aid workers “with close knowledge of the situation” say the vast majority of the people in the area are women and children who urgently need more food, water, and medical assistance. Their move into a Dallas apartment came as the state government sued to block their arrival. That’s up from four Syrians in 2012, when they made up less than one percent of total refugees placed in the state.
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“We should not be bringing in when our own Federal Bureau of Investigation tells us we can not ascertain whether they are ISIS terrorists”, said Cruz. Tobin said Pence urged him to wait until after new legislation was passed by Congress regarding entry of immigrants and refugees. “This is an essential part of our identity as Catholic Christians and we will continue this life-saving tradition”.
