Michigan, Alabama Refuse Syrian Refugees Following Paris Attacks (UPDATED)
The governors of Michigan and Alabama are now refusing to accept Syrian refugees following the terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS in Paris on Friday.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley released an official statement on Sunday denouncing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which was set up by President Barack Obama‘s administration back in September with the goal of accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees.
“I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm’s way,” said Bentley. “The acts of terror committed over the weekend are a tragic reminder to the world that evil exists and takes the form of terrorists who seek to destroy the basic freedoms we will always fight to preserve. I will not place Alabamians at even the slightest, possible risk of an attack on our people.”
According to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder echoed Bentley’s sentiments with a similar statement to the press.
“Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration,” he said. “But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents.”
Bentley and Snyder’s statements stem from reports that the Paris attackers may have gained entry to France while posing as Syrian refugees. On Sunday, CNN reported that an unnamed French senator who’d been briefed on the matter told the press that a Syrian passport had been found near one of the dead terrorists. However, the information has not yet been confirmed.
Even so, that didn’t stop Alabama and Michigan from responding as they did. Nor was it enough to dissuade Louisiana Governor and Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindal from issuing a letter to Obama demanding “information about the Syrian refugees being placed in Louisiana in hopes that the night of horror in Paris is not duplicated here.”
According to NBC News, Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that the White House would not be altering its current plans for accepting Syrian refugees.
“We have very expansive screening procedures for all Syrian refugees who have come to the United States,” he said. “There’s a very careful vetting process that includes our intelligence community, our national Counterterrorism Center [and] the Department of Homeland Security, so we can make sure that we’re carefully screening anybody who comes to the United States.”
UPDATE–10:34 a.m. ET: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted out an official statement on the state’s decision to refuse Syrian refugees.
BREAKING: Texas will not accept any Syrian refugees & I demand the U.S. act similarly. Security comes first. https://t.co/uE34eluXYd
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 16, 2015
According to Abbott’s statement, “the State of Texas will not accept any refugees from Syria in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in Paris.” In addition, the governor urged the White House to halt current plans to “accept more Syrian refugees in the United State.” Abbott cited the unconfirmed report about a Syrian passport being found near the body of one of the dead attackers.
UPDATE–10:54 a.m. ET: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted his intention to refuse Syrian refugees in his state.
As Governor I will oppose Syrian refugees being relocated to Arkansas. — Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) November 16, 2015
UPDATE–11:27 a.m. ET: PennLive.com reports that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf will not be following the current trend among established by some American governors. According to Wolf’s spokesperson Jeffrey Sheridan, “Pennsylvania will continue working with the federal government to ensure that all individuals have gone through the proper screening process.”
UPDATE–12:07 p.m. ET: According to CNBC, Louisiana and Indiana have joined Arkansas, Texas, Michigan and Alabama in refusing to accept Syrian refugees.
JUST IN: Indiana and Louisiana join Arkansas and Texas in halting relocation of Syrian refugees to their states following Paris attacks.
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) November 16, 2015
[h/t NBC News, CNN]
[Image via Shutterstock.com]
