Nonprofit Says It Will Still Resettle Syrian Refugees

The International Rescue Committee responded to the state health commissioner Tuesday, saying its Dallas affiliate would continue placing refugees who have been ‘admitted lawfully to the USA’.

A spokeswoman for Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston said in a statement that it had not received a letter from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, “so no final determination has been made regarding our next steps for resettling Syrian refugees”.

Before being resettled in the United States, refugees must undergo rigorous interviews and background checks conducted by numerous USA government agencies.

Last month, the House voted overwhelmingly to erect high hurdles for Syrian and Iraqi refugees to come to the United States in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris.

Abbott, a Republican, is concerned that USA security screening is ineffective and could allow in people with ties to terrorism, the letter said, giving the group until Monday to reply. Over the holiday weekend, refugee assist groups within the state found themselves caught in a cross fire between state & federal officers regarding whether or not they may moreover assist new Syrian refugees.

“Syrian refugees are subject to even more precautions than other refugees”, the letter notes.

And yet, more are being resettled in Texas.

A protester against the United States’ acceptance of Syrian refugees uses a USA flag to block a counter-protester’s sign that read “Refugees Welcome” during a demonstration at the Washington State capitol in Olympia, Washington, November 20, 2015.

From Jan. 1 through mid-November 1,861 refugees from Syria had resettled in the United States, including 104 in Florida, State Department records show.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission contracts and provides funding to local agencies in Texas who provide services to refugees once they have been resettled in Texas.

The letter, signed Robert Carey the director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, said that his agency is committed “to ensuring that all refugees receive the assistance and services vital to achieving their potential in the United States and becoming self-sufficient, integrated members of our communities”.

Denise Gilman, director of the immigration clinic at the University of Texas School of Law, says there is no basis for the lawsuit and believes the state may just be going to court as an intimidation measure. Representatives from the NGOs greet refugees at the airport, help them find safe and affordable housing and work, and provide them with food and clothing, among other services. The ACLU filed suit on behalf of a resettlement group in Indiana.

The Obama administration, which has announced plans to accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees in addition to the 2,500 who have settled here since 2011, says it already takes around 18-24 months on average for them to make it into this country. The process takes around two years and has been effective thus far.

And her organization plans to continue its work despite the state’s action, she said.