US states turn back on Syria refugees after Paris attacks

At least 19 US states moved to shut the door on Syrian refugees on Monday as governors cited security fears in the wake of the Paris attacks.

The reaction prompted President Barack Obama to push back, as he criticized “shameful” Republican calls to screen the refugees fleeing war-torn Syria based on their religion.

But Obama faced a barrage of pressure from states, Republican presidential candidates, key members of Congress, and in one case a Democratic governor to suspend a program to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees on US soil in 2016.

The discovery of a Syrian passport near the body of one Paris assailant has revived Europe’s debate on how hard a line to take on the record migrant influx.

In the United States, Republican presidential hopefuls Jeb Bush, Ben Carson and Marco Rubio said outright that America must not take in Syrian refugees because they might include Islamic State members.

And Republican state governors lined up to demand the suspension of plans to resettle Syrians.

“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,” Governor Greg Abbott of the large southern state wrote Monday in a letter to Obama.

“I will do everything humanly possible to stop any plans from the Obama administration to put Syrian refugees in Mississippi,” added that state’s Governor Phil Bryant.

Obama’s policy of welcoming such individuals “is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous,” he said.

Alabama and Michigan announced their opposition Sunday. They have been joined by Republican-led states Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

New Hampshire’s Democratic governor Maggie Hassan has joined them. Her spokesman said Hassan believes the Obama administration should “halt acceptance of refugees from Syria” until it can assure the vetting process is as strong as possible.

Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan, home to one of America’s largest concentrations of Middle East immigrants, said he had decided to suspend arrivals of Syrian refugees until the Department of Homeland Security completes a “full review” of security clearances and procedures.

Michigan’s leading newspaper, the Detroit Free Press, reported that between 1,800 and 2,000 refugees have resettled in the state over the past year, about 200 of whom were from Syria.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who is running for president, signed an executive order Monday instructing state agencies to “take all available steps to stop the relocation of Syrian refugees to Louisiana.”

He also wrote Obama Saturday urging him to “pause the process,” and complained that he was kept in the dark about Syrian refugees as they began arriving in New Orleans earlier this month.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations decried the governors’ “un-American” reactions.

“Governors who reject those fleeing war and persecution abandon our ideals and instead project our fears to the world,” CAIR said.

Suzanne Akhras Sahloul, director of the Syrian Community Network which helps refugees adjust to American life, warned of growing “Islamophobia” in the country.

“When have we ever closed the door to refugees? What happened to us that we are now closing our doors to people who are escaping terrorism, trauma and death?” she told AFP.

At least five states have stated they remain open to Syrian refugees.

“Washington will continue to be a state that welcomes those seeking refuge from persecution, regardless of where they come from or the religion they practice,” said a statement from Democratic governor Jay Inslee. “We have been and will continue to be a state that embraces compassion and eschews fear mongering.”

Claimed by the Islamic State group, Friday’s coordinated attacks targeting revellers at a Paris concert, restaurants and the national stadium left at least 129 dead and raised fears of a similar assault by jihadists on US soil.

Obama, speaking Monday in Turkey at a summit of the world’s top economies, said it is “very important… that we do not close our hearts to these victims” of Middle East violence.

In September the US leader announced plans to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees by September 2016. The White House stressed the plan carries little risk because there is a “robust” vetting process in place.

Congress faces a December 11 deadline for finalizing 2016 spending, and some Republicans want to insert language that blocks federal funding for Obama’s refugees plan.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he was looking at all options.

“We’ve always been a generous nation taking in refugees, but this is a unique situation,” Ryan told radio host Bill Bennett.

“This is a situation where you’ve got single men coming over, which is not women and children.”