Texas Health Commissioner Chris Traylor sent a letter over Thanksgiving weekend to the International Rescue Committee, a New York-based humanitarian aid organization with offices in Dallas, which signified a willingness to take in Syrian refugees, according to the Houston Chronicle.
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However, to reassure the governors, McDonough said he proposes to establish a process for them to obtain additional information tailored to their states about the refugees who are resettled during the prior month and the fiscal year to date.
Traylor’s letter followed one earlier this month from Gov. Greg Abbott to President Barack Obama saying that “Texas cannot participate in any program that will result in Syrian refugees – any one of whom could be connected to terrorism – being resettled in Texas”.
In the aftermath of the November 13 terror attacks in Paris, the House voted overwhelmingly to erect high hurdles for resettling Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the United States.
A Kirk aide told The Hill the ad will run statewide for three weeks and has more than $180,000 behind it. It’s an attack that builds off of Kirk’s op-ed last week in the Chicago Tribune where he cautioned that administration officials have expressed doubt that the federal government can adequately ensure vetted refugees pose no threat to the homeland.
Faez, a Syrian refugee who spoke some English, confirmed to the Star-Telegram that family members who are in Jordan are scheduled to arrive in Texas this week.
Plans have been in place for six Syrian refugees to be resettled in Dallas this week. Elissa Steglich of the University of Texas School of Law Immigration Clinic says that, even if the state ends its contracts with refugee agencies, the resettlement could legitimately continue.
The same day as the conference call, Brown said OR will “continue to open the doors of opportunity” to Syrian refugees. “It is the most robust screening process for any category of individuals seeking admission into the United States”.
The lawsuit argues that both the U.S. government and the IRC have violated federal law to “consult with the State on placement if refugees in Texas” by advancing with the plan to resettle the 6 Syrian refugees in Dallas.
But a state official, speaking on background, said that lawyers for the state believe they are on firm ground threatening a contract termination and potential legal action. Representatives from the NGOs greet refugees at the airport, help them find safe and affordable housing and work, and provide them with food and clothing, among other services. Two of his top aides were also brought on at IRC, and they each earn over $225,000 per year.
“The Texas citizenry has not seen a secure border in over 30 years, and the crime problem in the cities is related to that”, Korkmas said from Houston, a sanctuary city.
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The agencies work as an arm of the federal government but are shielded from the requirements of the federal Freedom of Information Act. The ACLU filed suit on behalf of a resettlement group in Indiana.
