Republican governors rush to slam door on Syrian refugees

Governors across the country are scrambling to close off their states to resettled Syrian refugees in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris that are linked to Islamic State extremists.

The list of states climbed quickly to nine by midday Monday, even as President Barack Obama denounced efforts to block refugees from coming to the United States as “shameful.”

Governors of Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Michigan, Alabama, Texas and Arkansas – all of them Republicans – have said that they would not admit new Syrian refugees for fear that violent extremists posing as refugees might gain entry to the country.

In Michigan, a state with a large population of Muslims, Gov. Rick Snyder noted that the state has a “rich history of immigration” and that extremists “do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world,”

But, Snyder added, “our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents.”

The move has also quickly become political, with Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal the first of the governors in the race to block refugees in his own state.

“I just signed an Executive Order instructing state agencies to take all available steps to stop the relocation of Syrian refugees to LA,” Jindal tweeted.

It is not clear, however, what governors could do to stop refugees from resettling in their states.

Resettlement applications are handled by several offices within the U.S. State Department. The process takes between 18 and 24 months, and applicants are screened by the Department of Homeland Security and interviewed before being approved to relocate to the United States.

In a statement, presidential hopeful and Ohio Gov. John Kasich said that he opposed resettling Syrian refugees in Ohio and has written to Obama asking him to stop sending refugees to his state, suggesting that he does not have the power to unilaterally halt the process himself.

“The governor doesn't believe the U.S. should accept additional Syrian refugees because security and safety issues cannot be adequately addressed,” Kasich spokesman Jim Lynch said. “The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio.”

“We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement of these refugees,” he added.

Another governor in the race, Chris Christie, R-N.J., has not yet weighed in.

Some presidential candidates, such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have suggested that it is too risky to admit Muslim refugees.

Obama responded at a news conference during the G-20 summit in Turkey that the suggestion was un-American.

“The United States has to step up and do its part,” Obama said. “And when I hear folks say that, well, maybe we should just admit the Christians but not the Muslims, when I hear political leaders suggesting that there would be a religious test for which person who's fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted, when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they were fleeing political persecution, that's shameful.”

“That's not American, it's not who we are,” he added.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Sunday noted that his state had not admitted any refugees, but none would be allowed to settle there in the future.

On Monday, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence ordered state agencies to “suspend the resettlement of additional Syrian refugees” to Indiana “pending assurances from the federal government that proper security measures have been achieved.”

“Unless and until the state of Indiana receives assurances that proper security measures are in place, this policy will remain in full force and effect,” Pence added.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker echoed the sentiment that his state is seeking additional security assurances from the federal government.

“No, I'm not interested in accepting refugees from Syria,” he told reporters. “I would need to know a lot more than I know now before I would agree to do anything.”

In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson noted that refugees pose a “risk” to Arkansans, and should be relocated in Europe, Africa or Asia. And in Illinois, Gov. Bruce Rauner said in a statement Monday that the state would temporarily halt the resettlement of refugees after the Paris attacks served as a reminder of “the all-too-real security threats facing America.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott went further, calling on Obama to halt all plans to accept refugees into the United States entirely.

“Given the tragic attacks in Paris and the threats we have already seen, Texas cannot participate in any program that will result in Syrian refugees - any one of whom could be connected to terrorism - being resettled in Texas,” Abbott said in a letter to Obama.

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Republican governors rush to slam door on Syrian refugees."