USA state to sue agencies accepting Syrian refugees

He urged public officials to work together to end the conflict in Syria so the country’s almost 4 million refugees can return home.

“We are pleased to see the federal government finally beginning to understand that states like OH want more regular information about refugees being resettled in our state”, said Kasich press secretary Joe Andrews.

Gov. Greg Abbott has already declared that his state will not accept any Syrian refugees. The letters had opposite messages.

The new system comes as 31 governors have sought to block President Obama from placing Syrian refugees in their states following the Paris attacks linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission wrote to the International Rescue Committee in Dallas to express its disappointment in the group’s ongoing support of Syrian refugees in Texas.

Texas is threatening refugee aid organizations with possible lawsuits and funding cuts.

Texas has resettled about 180 Syrians since the civil war began in 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The IRC hopes that Texas will continue to honour this long-standing tradition and its commitment to the US Constitution”, it added.

Texas still stands behind their decision to keep Syrian refugees out of the state.

The letter, however, was unlikely to satisfy other governors who, in several cases, suggested they would instruct key agencies and departments in their states not to work with the resettlement program or oppose them outright, though it was unclear what practical effect those instructions would have. In a letter dated Wednesday, the Office of Refugee Resettlement told state officials they would be breaking the law if they denied benefits or services to refugees contingent upon their country of origin or religious affiliation.

Conservative leaders, including a former US attorney general and a previous chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, are warning that the United States is putting its national security at risk unless it strengthens the vetting of Syrian refugees.

“It is important not to conflate terrorists with the Syrian refugees who are seeking sanctuary”, the statement read.

Groups supporting potential refugees fear the dueling letters will cause confusion.

“The legal experts that we talked to think that the federal government is in the right, but a lot of experts thought that way for the immigration executive action case and that case, so far, Abbott has been successful in”, Rosenthal says. He says that while the state says that federal law mandates that the groups conduct their activities “in close cooperation and advanced consultation with the states” that does not mean the state can summarily bar Syrian refugees.

Abbott has countered that by pointing to specific language in federal law.

A spokesman for Snyder said Monday that the MI governor continues to engage in discussions concerning background checks and other procedures for accepting refugees.

Roughly 2,200 Syrian refugees have been allowed in over the last four years. Under the Refugee Health Program, the state contracts with city and county health departments to provide refugees with initial health screening, vaccinations and referrals for medical treatment.