McCrory Asks Obama to ‘Cease Sending Refugees from Syria to North Carolina’

But that has not stopped Republican presidential candidates, Republican members of Congress and a corps of GOP governors from calling for the nation to bar its doors to 10,000 Syrian refugees scheduled to be given safe harbor in the United States next year.

The Syrian refugee situation is becoming an issue in the governor’s race as the state Republican party called on Democratic candidate Roy Cooper to answer questions about what he’d do with refugees here in North Carolina.

“Given this development we have serious concerns about the ongoing resettlement of Syrian refugees to the communities we represent across North Carolina”, it says.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Duke Asian and Middle Eastern studies professor Miriam Cooke about the political and historical context of the Syrian refugee crisis.

“My primary duty as governor is to protect the citizens of North Carolina”, McCrory says, “which is why I’m taking these steps and making this request of the President today”.

“What I am requesting is that we learn exactly who these people are, what their backgrounds are and where they are in case there are threats”, McCrory said during a press conference on Monday.

Governor McCrory said he has directed the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Safety to coordinate with the appropriate federal agencies.

Standing in front of the offices of the state’s attorney general, the executive director of the NCGOP asked where Roy Cooper stands with regard to Syrian refugees.

The federal government controls which refugees enter the country.

He said, “It’s been clear from our intelligence and from ISIS itself that they’ve infiltrated these refugees”.

For Syrian’s now living in North Carolina, the move to keep out refugees is appalling.

Nikki Haley says there are no Syrian refugees in SC and says she will object if the Federal Government does make plans to send refugees to the state.

“The overwhelming majority of Syrian refugees that I work with, that we work with at Heart for Lebanon, want to go back to Syria”. If we refuse to provide them a new, safe life and opportunity, we add only to their misery, do nothing to enhance our own security, and turn probable friends into possible future foes.