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Abbott Says Texas Will Not Accept Syrian Refugees, Citing Paris Attacks

Marjorie Kamys Cotera
/
The Texas Tribune
Gov. Greg Abbott proposed reforms against "sanctuary cities" he wants Texas lawmakers to consider in the 2017 legislative session.

Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that Texas would refuse Syrian refugees after a terrorist attack in Paris killed more than 120 people.

"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 wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama.

Cynthia Leigh, an immigration attorney in Austin, said advocates for refugees “deplore this sort of announcement.” But Leigh said Abbott’s move was likely legal because resettlement policies are at the discretion of local communities.

Abbott's announcement made Texas the third state to declare it would block Syrian refugees from resettling. The governors of Michigan and Alabama said Sunday that they would similarly prevent such resettlement in their states.

In his letter, Abbott said ISIS posed a “very real” risk to Texas, referencing an attack last year in Garland where a security guard was wounded after being shot outside a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack.

In September, the U.S. State Department announced it would accept 10,000 Syrian refugees next year. Thousands have fled war-stricken Syria, mostly to Europe and Turkey, as the terrorist group ISIS has taken over much of the nation’s territory.

It is unclear how many of those refugees would have ended up in Texas, but in recent years, the Lone Star State has accepted about 10 percent of the 70,000 refugees admitted into the country annually.

Obama reiterated his support for accepting Syrian refugees at a press conference Monday morning.

“We also have to remember that many of these refugees are victims of terrorism themselves,” he told reporters. “Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values.”

About 120 Syrian refugees have already been resettled in Texas this year.

Refugee admissions are determined by the U.S. Department of State, which processes applications received through the United Nations and conducts security screenings — a process that can take up to two years.

Refugees cleared by the State Department are assigned to one of nine national refugee resettlement organizations that place individuals in communities across the country, where local case managers help them resettle.

This story was provided by the Texas Tribune.

Edgar Walters is a reporter with the Texas Tribune.