Texas wanted assurances Monday from a major resettlement agency that it will not accept Syrian refugees and threatened legal action if Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders are defied.
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He says it would break down refugees by nationality, gender and age range.
The New York-based group is thought to have resettled eight Syrians in the conservative state.
Similar letters were sent to other governors following a telephone conversation with them and President Obama about Syrian refugees.
The White House said Monday it will tell Gov. Chris Christie and other governors how many Syrian refugees are settling in their states. Authorities in Washington, D.C., say resettlement programs are federally funded and involve volunteer and private organizations – meaning states can’t dictate policy.
“He’s working closely with the departments of State and Homeland Security, and we know leaders there recognize that our priority is to keep Michiganders safe”, spokesman Dave Murray said.
They have also argued that the governors, mostly Republicans, are targeting those who are overwhelmingly victims rather than perpetrators of violence in Syria. That means the Syrian refugee proposal won’t be sent to the full City Council for consideration.
“While no state law has banned the refugees, the governor of this state has said “no” for security reasons”, said Terri Hall, president of Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom.
Unlike most of his GOP colleagues, Herbert said he wouldn’t close the door to Syrian refugees seeking to come to Utah, though he added that he wants the state’s Department of Public Safety to review the security checks used to vet those seeking asylum.
“Many of your fellow organizations expressed a willingness to work with the state to identify alternative outcomes for refugees from Syria who might otherwise relocate to Texas”, Traylor wrote in a November 25 letter to Dallas IRC Executive Director Donna Duvin, which was released to the Los Angeles Times. “Refugees from Burma, Bhutan, Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan and, very recently, Syria, have all found sanctuary here, and the opportunity to live a productive and law-abiding life”, IRC officials said in a statement Monday.
Snyder was the first governor to suspend the acceptance of Syrian refugees earlier this month, calling for a “pause” in resettlement after Islamic State terrorists carried out attacks in Paris and Beirut and claimed credit for bringing down a plane in Egypt.
South Carolina’s Democratic and Republican lawmakers are taking sides in the debate over Syrian refugees, a fight that, as yet, has no battleground in the state.
Albright, who was 11 years old when she and her family arrived in the US after fleeing the Nazis in Czechoslovakia 67 years ago, said closing off America to refugees is contrary to American values.
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Meanwhile, a bigger potential vulnerability is the 20 million visitors coming to the USA each year from the 38 nations that are part of the Visa Waiver Program – not refugees who are subject to multiple layers of screenings over the course of more than a year. Refugees go through rigorous security screenings.
