Texas was the first of thirty states to reject the resettlement of Syrian refugees into their states, following the terrorist attacks in Paris last night. Texas sought, again, to block Syrian refugees after learning that a new group was intended for Houston.
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The family boarded a plane in Jordan on Sunday evening and arrived in Indianapolis on
Monday.
“Entering the United States as a refugee is the most hard way to enter [the United States], said Daley Ryan, Deputy Director for International Rescue Committee”.
A group of about eight Syrian refugees is expected to arrive Thursday in Houston. Syrians already settled here were prepared to welcome them and help them get acquainted with their new home thousands of miles from their war-torn homeland.
Despite sometimes heated rhetoric to the contrary, it’s generally agreed that states do not have the ability to prevent the federal government from resettling refugees within their borders.
“The governor holds Catholic Charities in the highest regard but respectfully disagrees with their decision to place a Syrian refugee family in IN at this time”, spokesman Matt Lloyd said.
The day after a family of six Syrian refugees arrived in their state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen.
Abbot sat alongside U.S. Senator Ted Cruz earlier this week to push legislation that allow states to reject refugees.
“Federal law requires the Obama Administration to work with the states in the refugee resettling process”, Paxton spokeswoman Katherine Wise said in a statement after Godbey’s ruling.
Texas was among 30 USA states that vowed to not to let Syrian refugees on their territories.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis said the family fled Syria three years ago and were subjected to two years of security checks before they were allowed to go to the U.S.
The canceled press appearance stems from a miscommunication between two refugee resettlement agencies and the family. Pence not only hoped to block the family, he also hoped the Catholic Church would follow his lead.
An aide says Indiana Gov. Mike Pence wants residents of the state to welcome a Syrian refugee family that was settled there, despite his objections.
The Texas action came after U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump touched off a global firestorm by saying that Muslims should be denied entry into the United States.
While Texas Governor Greg Abbott has tried to halt further refugee resettlement in his state, alleging lack of cooperation and information sharing on the part of the federal government, the mayors of all major Texas cities have expressed support for refugee resettlement in their communities.
“This has been a long journey for them, and it’s been a long journey for a lot of Syrian refugees”, she said.
In filing the lawsuit last week, Texas cited concerns over security, an issue that has resonated with the public since the terrorist attacks in Paris last month and the more recent violence in California.
Pence asked Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin last week to not resettle the family in Indiana.
“They have had their entire lives uprooted and destroyed”, he said.
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Texas’ health commissioner sent letters to refugee resettlement agencies threatening them with the loss of state cooperation if they continued to bring in Syrians.
