But this week, another Syrian family was able to resettle in IN, according to a statement posted online Tuesday by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
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“Commission has failed to show by competent evidence that any terrorists actually have infiltrated the refugee program, much less that these particular refugees are terrorists intent on causing harm”, U.S District Judge David Godbey said in his decision. The Republican abruptly dropped a similar request last week after the Obama administration and ACLU responded in court that states don’t have the authority to block refugees.
Calling his decision an “unconstitutional bluff”, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Indianapolis-based refugee agency.
Then U.S. Representative Mike Pence arrives for a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on December 2, 2010.
Texas filed papers in federal court on Wednesday seeking to block the imminent entry into the state of nine Syrian refugees, saying the US government has not met its legal obligation to consult with local officials about the resettlement.
Ryan said if the Syrians would have wanted to get involved in jihadist activities, they would have remained in Syria.
Several families of Syrian refugees were resettled in Texas and in this week, even as leaders in both states vowed to step up their efforts to halt the wave of incoming refugees.
The ruling cleared the way for the last of 21 Syrian refugees to resettle in Houston – a family of eight, including six children ages 6 to 15, along with a 26-year-old Syrian women whose mother resides in the area.
A federal judge has denied Texas officials’ renewed request for a temporary restraining order to block Syrian refugees due to arrive Thursday.
The governor’s office Tuesday morning released a statement that said the state will continue to suspend its involvement in the resettlement “until the federal government takes action to address the concerns raised about this program”.
In a Thursday afternoon court filing, Paxton said new information from U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, the Austin Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, indicated that “terrorist organizations have infiltrated the very refugee program that is central to the dispute before this court”. Some politicians, including Governor Abbott, don’t want Syrian refugees to come here.
Ryan said despite voiced concerns of terrorists slipping through the refugee system, Texas residents need to understand the extensive screening process taken. But it also fought harder than any other state to stop the inflow of Syrian refugees after the attacks.
For the past two weeks, leaders of the Dallas refugee assistance agency tied to Syrian refugees said little.
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“If there was going to be no interruption, suspension or revocation of aid, I suspect it would have been mentioned at this point as we litigate the case”, Falk said.
