President Barack Obama has described as hysterical the actions of two dozen state governors who are refusing to resettle Syrian refugees.
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At least 30 governors, mostly Republicans, have said they will not allow Syrian refugees in their states after Alabama and Michigan’s leaders became the first to do so Sunday.
Amid intensifying concern over extremists from the Islamic State group infiltrating the West, and as U.S. lawmakers digest reports that several Paris attackers were French nationals, McCaul said lawmakers were also drafting legislation that would tighten the existing visa waiver program.
“Texas is saying no more, we will not allow any more Syrian refugees into the State of Texas”, Abbott said on FOX News.
The White House held a 90-minute phone call with 34 governors on Tuesday night to explain how Syrian refugees are screened and prioritised for entry.
The White House said that some governors asked for more communication so that they “are able to better respond to questions from the public about the refugee screening and resettlement process”.
Obama’s comments during a meeting with Philippine President Benigno Aquino marked his harshest condemnation yet of Republicans’ response to the Paris attacks blamed on IS that killed 129 people last week.
Acknowledging that Florida does not have the authority to change federal immigration funding, Scott urged Congress “to prevent federal allocations toward the relocation of Syrian refugees without extensive examination into how this would affect our homeland security”.
Inslee released a statement Tuesday evening, characterizing the call as a chance to hear from Homeland Security and Health and Human Services about the protocols for resettling refugees.
Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman Senator Robert Casey says we can not turn our back on Syrian refugees. So it’s not clear that any governors have the power to actually block refugee resettlement, as some have pledged to do.
In a defensive press conference Monday, Obama said his decision to forgo a major shift in strategy in fighting ISIS, who claimed responsibility for the terror spree. Dan Sullivan, who says he’s received calls from hundreds of Alaskans concerned about the vetting process and risk of terrorism.
“Given the lives at stake and the critical importance to our partners in the Middle East and Europe of American leadership in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis, if the President were presented with H.R. 4038, he would veto the bill”, the White House said.
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“Our nation has always been welcoming but we cannot let terrorists take advantage of our compassion”, said Ryan, announcing he was assembling a task force to work on legislation that can be brought to a vote as early as Thursday.
