Republican Governors Say They Will Reject Syrian Refugees
WASHINGTON -- A number of Republican governors said Sunday and Monday that they will block Syrian refugees from resettling in their states, based on concerns about terrorism after attacks in Paris last week.
The states are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) said his state will block funding for resettling Syrian refugees but doesn't have the power to prevent them from coming.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), a presidential candidate, said Monday that the U.S. should not admit Syrian refugees, but stopped short of saying he would refuse to allow them into his state. New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan was the sole Democrat to say she opposed resettling Syrian refugees in the U.S., although she, like Kasich, did not specifically say they would be blocked from her state.
All of the governors cited the terrorist attacks in Paris, which the Islamic State, also called ISIS, claimed credit for. Authorities found a Syrian passport near one of the suicide bombers there, although it has yet to be confirmed whether it belonged to the attacker, or whether it was stolen or a forgery. French authorities said the mastermind of the attacks was a Belgian man.
The attacks set off a backlash against Syrian refugees. In Europe, Poland's future minister for European affairs said the country will not implement the European Union's refugee plan in light of the attacks in Paris. In the U.S., calls to limit refugee admissions have come mostly from Republicans -- many of whom had expressed concerns about admitting Muslims from Syria in the first place.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republican-governors-syrian-refugees_564a0ef9e4b06037734a0209
