A cascade of states is now refusing to accept Syrian refugees

“But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents”.

A few interpret Friday’s attacks as evidence that refugees are unsafe, Riemer said, but he disagrees with that interpretation.

Among governors now balking at the program, Gov. Rick Snyder of MI, who had bucked many fellow Republican leaders by embracing the initiative, said he was suspending the welcome until federal officials reviewed security procedures and clearances.

Wisconsin is joining the growing number of states saying they will not accept any new Syrian refugees in the wake of Friday’s coordinated terror attacks in Paris.

And in the United States, where candidates running in upcoming presidential elections comment on most major issues, the Paris attacks had already triggered caustic opposition to Obama’s plans to scale up the number of Syrian refugees. “More importantly…it is our understanding that the state does not have the authority to prevent the federal government from funding the relocation of these Syrian refugees to Florida even without state support”, Scott wrote. The majority of refugees in New Hampshire are from Bhutan.

The civil war in Syria, which has raged since 2011, has killed 250,000 people and, according to the United Nations, sent more than 4 million refugees into other countries to flee the violence in what has been called the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. “The Catholic Church in MI, through its vast network of human service agencies, stands ready and is eager to assist incoming refugees and the most vulnerable who are in desperate need of assistance”.

House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is urging that President Obama rethink his plan for resettling Syria’s refugees.

New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan is the only Democrat to oppose Syrian refugees’ resettlement in the United States – a stance that’s particularly notable since she is challenging Republican Sen.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted that “Texas will not accept any Syrian refugees & I demand the USA act similarly. The state of Wisconsin will not accept new Syrian refugees”.

At least nine states on Monday followed the lead of Alabama on MI, whose Republican governors said Sunday that they would not allow Syrian refugees to resettle in their states. On Saturday, he said the federal government had not informed his government about refugees being relocated to his state last week. “So I would set the bar very high on this”. Critics say terrorists could enter the country by posing as refugees.

According to Jones, politicians are not being straight with the American people if they claim that resettling refugees from terrorist hot spots are not a threat to safety – especially in light of the attacks in Paris.

In other cases, potential refugees who are close relatives of people granted asylum in the US or other refugees already in the country can apply directly with the USA government.

He said federal officials are taking “seriously” the states’ concerns, and that he’s not sure whether they have the legal authority to block the resettlements.

He went on: “Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values”.

That was a distinct change of tone from September, when Christie declared that Obama, through inaction, “has allowed these folks to be slaughtered” in Syria.