After attacks in Paris, governors refuse to accept Syrian refugees
Source: USA Today
At least 23 governors, expressing fears about terrorism, are taking action through executive order, a request to federal officials or some other means to prevent Syrian refugees from settling in their states.
Their stand in the name of public safety began Sunday and escalated quickly Monday, igniting a debate over whether states even have the power to refuse people based on their nationality.
The governors in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin were reacting to Fridays attacks in Paris and the possibility that Syrian refugees seeking resettlement in the United States might include people with terrorist ties.
Twenty-two of the 23 governors are Republican.
Read more: http://www.kgw.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/16/alabama-refuses-syrian-refugees-paris-terror-attack/75857924/
mn9driver
(4,428 posts)But it makes their crazy, terrified, eliminationist base happy, so they will continue to shovel bullshit.
DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)But fear triumphs over intelligence way too often it seems.
FLPanhandle
(7,107 posts)That they will do. Either the Feds will have to cover the costs or find another state willing to.
Xithras
(16,191 posts)Our current resettlement program basically consists of the Federal government handling resettlement off to various departments in each of the states, and then refunding the states for the cost of those programs. The federal government cannot require the states to participate in the programs. These governors are basically ordering their state level agencies to cease cooperation with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, which IS perfectly legal for them to do.
There's nothing stopping the federal government from settling the refugees directly, but it would take a lot of time and money to build a 50 state federally administered resettlement program out of nothing. The federal government could also pass legislation requiring states to participate in the program under the threat of losing federal funds, but states would still have the option of giving the feds the middle finger and forgoing the funds (as many do with Obamacare), and it would be very difficult to pass a bill like that at the moment anyway. People are freaked out right now, and a LOT of voters would flee any parties or representatives pushing that kind of legislation.
But, if the federal government wanted, it could start landing Syrian refugees at an Air Force base in Texas, hand them the legal papers they need to settle, and send them out the front gates with a check. That would be a pretty shitty thing to do to the refugees though.
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)Are they planning on setting up immigration control points on their state border crossings?
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)I read that the passport found at one scene was either stolen or a forgery. I heard on the news that some were from Belgium and (at least) one was French.
DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)femmocrat
(28,394 posts)His closing statement about the US accepting immigrants regardless of religion, etc. was very moving.
Not surprising though. Wonder who the democrat was? Massachusetts?
On edit: Just found this post that says all attackers were European: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027351480
DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)The lone Democrat is Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire. She's running for a GOP-held Senate seat in NH...
ETA:
Her spokesman, William Hinkle, told the New Hampshire Union Leader that she currently opposes letting refugees from the war-torn country into the United States.
Protecting the safety and security of our people is the first responsibility of government, he told the paper. And the Governor has always made clear that we must ensure robust refugee screening to protect American citizens, and believes that we must know more of the facts about those who carried out the Paris terrorist attacks and have strong assurances of safety from our intelligence officials before we admit refugees from Syria into the United States.
Hinkle told The Daily Beast over email that Hassan believes the refugee settlement program should stop immediately.
The Governor has always made clear that we must ensure robust refugee screening to protect American citizens, he emailed, and the Governor believes that the federal government should halt acceptance of refugees from Syria until intelligence and defense officials can assure that the process for vetting all refugees, including those from Syria, is as strong as possible to ensure the safety of the American people.
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)Scared of her own shadow, ever willing to take the republican line on controversial issues.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,843 posts)PatrynXX
(5,668 posts)face palm. nothing like 24 Gov's all falling for ISIL's trap
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
icymist This message was self-deleted by its author.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)he wouldn't have let refugees in, in the first place.
7962
(11,841 posts)Ridiculous
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)was made the issue.
7962
(11,841 posts)That was the post i found ridiculous. I doubt the GOP response would be any different if Bill Clinton were president trying to do the same thing
blackspade
(10,056 posts)and political opportunists.
tabasco
(22,974 posts)Christie even rejected allowing in orphaned children. These people are depraved.
7962
(11,841 posts)Assuming there is a danger allowing tens of thousands of people in, I dont see how children with no parents could be part of that threat. They would just need families!!!