Obama Administration Wants Syrian Refugees Allowed In Texas

“I think that it’s the first sign that Texas is beginning to see the light”, said Cecillia Wang of the ACLU, which is defending the resettlement group in the lawsuit that was filed in Dallas federal court.

Although the Paris attacks prompted Texas’ hardline stance against Syrian refugees, Gov. Greg Abbott has also invoked the mass shootings in Southern California this week that the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism. There are even more reasons, as Ben Wittes has explained, to be put off by the fear-mongering rhetoric behind these suggestions.

Federal officials told U.S. District Judge David Godbey in court filings that Texas was harming national interests determined by President Barack Obama. The commission had been ordered by Texas Governor Greg Abbott not to participate in any federal resettlement of Syrian refugees.

Breitbart Texas asked officials in the Office of the Attorney General to provide information as to what type of information was requested from the federal government about these Syrian refugees and what information was provided by the federal government in response.

“(Texas) has made no showing that these refugees pose any threat, much less an imminent one, to the safety or security of Texas residents or any other Americans”, according to the federal government’s brief.

Attorneys for the Justice Department and the International Rescue Committee each filed responses with the federal judge in Dallas early Friday after Texas officials sued Wednesday, seeking an injunction to stop the resettlement of half a dozen Syrians in the Dallas area.

Texas became the first state to sue the federal government to halt the settlement of Syrian refugees, citing security concerns following deadly attacks on Paris on November 13. Those refugees will include twelve children between the ages of two and fifteen, four parents, two grandparents and a Syrian woman whose mother now lives in Houston.

“The United States has a long-standing tradition of welcoming refugees, and this Administration is committed to preserving that tradition, consistent with the values that have endured through generations”, de Blasio said.

The International Rescue Committee, the relief agency resettling the refugees, filed a separate lawsuit against the state asserting that Texas could not discriminate against refugees based on nationality.

The results of this case could determine whether the governors of more than 30 states will be able to go through with plans to bar the local resettlement of Syrian refugees. It has also asked that refugees not be resettled until then.

A group of Syrian refugees are expected to arrive in Dallas today. The Texas attorney general later withdraws the state’s request for a temporary restraining order.

The government is obligated to consult with states about process, procedures and the overall distribution of refugees around the country – but that doesn’t mean a consultation about every individual refugee, the Department of Justice says. The federal government insists refugee vetting is thorough and can take up to two years. “Immigration policy is the jurisdiction of the federal government, and once refugees are allowed into the country, states can not easily prevent them from entering”.