The suit, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that the federal government and the International Rescue Committee have violated federal law by not consulting with the state in advance and cooperating with state officials. The state stated within the lawsuit in that the IRC & the federal authorities have left Texas “uninformed about refugees in that could well pose a security risk to Texans”.
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Refugee resettlement in the United States is completely funded by the federal government, but the state is in charge of contracting with local nonprofit organizations and distributing federal dollars to those agencies. The Obama administration reminded them in a November 25 letter that states don’t have that legal authority and could be punished, including suspension or termination from the federally funded resettlement program, if services are denied. “We will continue to abide by the terms of our agreement and continue to resettle refugees, including Syrians, in Texas”.
Despite these threats the Dallas IRC has said it will resettle lawfully entering and highly vetted refugees in the state. Texas will sue the U.S. government over its refugee resettlement policy, the AP reports, along with a charity that help those fleeing war and oppression.
Multiple federal government security agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation participate in the screening process of refugees, which can take 18-24 months, according to the State Department. “The IRC acts within the spirit and letter of the law, and we are hopeful that this matter resolved soon”.
On 2 December, 2015, Indiana’s Governor said that he had asked a Roman Catholic Archdiocese to not bring a Syrian refugee family to the state.
A statement from the International Rescue Committee did not comment on the lawsuit but said the group has “worked in coordination with Texas officials for 40 years”.
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Donna Duvin, executive director of the International Rescue Committee’s Dallas chapter, said Wednesday before the lawsuit was filed that the group did not plan to stop resettling Syrians. Federal courts – including the U.S. Supreme Court – have said immigration and admission of noncitizens to the United States is a federal responsibility and one managed wholly by the federal government. Most others have “expressed a willingness to work with the state” to identify alternatives for Syrian refugees, according to Traylor, which essentially means finding homes somewhere other than Texas.
