McCrory seeks to halt Syrian refugees entering North Carolina until security

Gov. Pat McCrory on Monday said he is requesting that the government cease sending Syrian refugees into North Carolina.

“I empathize with these people who are dealing with unimaginable atrocities from ISIS”. Information has been requested from the federal government but hasn’t been received, McCrory said.

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.

Governor McCrory said North Carolina should not receive any additional refugees until he is satisfied with the thoroughness and effectiveness of federal background and security checks conducted on refugees entering the United States.

The governors of IL, Indiana, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Michigan, Alabama, Texas and Arkansas have said that they wouldn’t admit new Syrian refugees out of fear that their number might include violent extremists.

McCrory said Monday that the state knows little about how that screening works and was told virtually nothing about those who have been resettled here.

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McCrory also said that from January of 2014 until October 2015, 59 Syrian refugees were resettled in North Carolina after being screened by the U.S. State Department. President Barack Obama called efforts to block refugees from coming to the United States “shameful”. The terrorists, we think can be filtered out if it is done properly.

The governor said his decision was also based on past history, including the 9/11 attack, because one of the terrorists trained as a pilot in North Carolina.