In this photo taken Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, Syrian refugees Reem Habashieh, right, and her mother Khawla Kareem, left, prepare dinner in their flat in Zwickau, eastern Germany.
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The State Department reports that 2,234 Syrian refugees have been screened and admitted to the US since 2010, and that none have been arrested or removed from the country on terrorism charges.
McDonough wrote that the State Department will provide more “consistent and official” communications about resettling Syrian refugees, including reports on the total number of refugees – but not their names – broken down by nationality, age range and gender.
As he explained, funding for refugee resettlement comes from the federal government, and is funneled through the state’s Office for Refugees and Immigrants. Gov. Abbott’s decision came shortly after the series of attacks in Paris.
The Republican is among more than 30 governors who declared that they will not accept Syrian refugees due to security concerns in the days after terrorists with ties to the Syria-based Islamic State killed at least 130 people in Paris on November 13.
The nonprofit had received a letter earlier on Monday from Traylor urging the International Rescue Committee’s Dallas branch to discontinue resettling Syrian refugees or risk losing its state contract “and other legal action”. After telling President Barack Obama that they won’t accept them migrating to their state, officials are now warning private charitable organizations that if they take refugees in, they may be sued. And Obama threatens to veto it if the bill arrives at his desk, even though it passed the House on a veto-proof bipartisan 289-137 vote. So far, in the 2016 fiscal year, 21 Syrian refugees have settled in the state.
Generally, though, experts say refugees pose little threat to the United States. It is important to underscore that individuals seeking resettlement as refugees are among the most carefully vetted people to enter our country.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today reiterates its support for the United States to continue resettling Syrian refugees. In the end, states may have little ability to control the flow of refugees. But as of Monday afternoon, that organization had not received a letter from the state similar to the one received by the International Rescue Committee, a Catholic Charities spokeswoman said.
“The bottom line is, refugee admission is a federal matter, reflecting our values as a nation”, said Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. Meanwhile, those same charities have received word from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement that states – such as Texas – lack the legal authority to deny refugees or to interfere with the work of aid societies helping the refugees.
But the money starts at the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to Duvin’s office.
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Already, the agency has helped eight Syrian refugees find new homes in Texas, and the director of the agency said in a statement that they have no intentions of stopping.
