Abbott’s Refugee Policy Has a few Fearing Racial Profiling

After consulting with a number of the resettlement agencies and representatives of their sponsoring religious denominations, Bee Moorhead, executive director of Texas Impact, an umbrella group for Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith groups, wrote Traylor a letter Friday expressing their “shock and dismay”, describing his letter as “an unprecedented attempt on the part of a state agency to pressure private, nonprofit organizations to violate federal law and their federal contractual obligations”.

It ordered “any active plans to resettle Syrian refugees in Texas” to be discontinued immediately.

Obama administration officials have responded to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s concerns about accepting Syrian refugees, saying federal screening is “extraordinarily thorough and comprehensive”.

Three paragraphs stated specific instructions on what to do if any Syrian refugees try to get help in Texas.

As Friday came and went, a few agencies that work with refugees in Texas balked at the directive, arguing that because resettlement is a federal responsibility, Gov. Abbott does not have the authority to make such a directive.

Asked about Abbott’s efforts, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said that “he does have authority over the state HHS resettlement program”.

Trevena said if the bill passes through the senate with enough majority to override a veto, it would mean that the federal resettlement refugee program would be suspended until national security agencies certify the refugees don’t pose a security risk.

“The narrative out there is absolutely false when they say governors have no authority to do anything about this, because we do”, Abbott said Wednesday on the Fox News Channel.

The letter reminded groups that they have a duty to cooperate and consult with the state in resettling worldwide refugees. They’ve been investigated multiple times and they are still coming.

Weiss-Armush said the suburb of Richardson had been an ideal place since relatives were willing to take them in. She said her organization will put beds that had been donated for the families to use in storage. And while the government could avoid conflict with the Republican governors who have opposed the plan by only placing refugees in those states, the post reports that it could set a risky precedent.