Resettlement officials have said the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 allows the federal government to designate an entity other than a state government to serve as the state refugee coordinator and disburse funding – a set-up now in place in six states. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his state will follow suit unless demands for more rigorous refugee vetting are “unconditionally” met by September 30.
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Citing safety concerns, Texas Gov Greg Abbott said the Office of Refugee Resettlement must “unconditionally approve” the state’s plan to exhaustively screen refugees hoping to enter the USA and only accept people who “are fully vetted and do not present a security threat”.
The Texas State Refugee Coordinator sent a letter to the agency, giving 120 days notice of its intention to withdraw, charging that the program was riddled with problems that present security risks, Republican Governor Greg Abbott said.
Conservative leaders have continuously attempted to block the migration of Syrian refugees since the aftermath of the November attacks in Paris that claimed the lives of 130 people. “This model for refugee resettlement will continue in Texas”. USA officials have said refugees are carefully vetted before entering the country.
State leaders want national security officials to ensure that the refugees coming into Texas do not pose a security threat before they are allowed into the country.
The White House has said the USA would resettle 110,000, a 30 percent increase over the 85,000 allowed this year. Germany has taken in over a million refugees from Syria, North Africa and Asia in the last year, while Canada admitted almost 30,000 between November last year and May 1.
“Empathy must be balanced with security”, Abbott added.
In August, state officials told ORR that Texas would not accept new refugees “without assurances from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence that the refugees do not pose a security threat to our citizens”.
“The federal government lacks the capability or the will to distinguish the risky from the harmless”. The withdrawal would take effect on January 31. “While many refugees pose no danger, some pose grave danger, like the Iraqi refugee with ties to ISIS who was arrested earlier this year after he plotted to set off bombs at two malls in Houston”.
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The administration has refused to approve a security plan by the state of Texas aimed at ensuring that refugees are only resettled following in-depth security checks.
