Two bills have been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives aimed at limiting the number of Muslim refugees from Syria being resettled by the federal government in the state, giving the state more local autonomy in the process.
Republican state Rep. Jim Runestad filed House Bills 5528 and 5529 that, he said, would protect both the state's communities and the refugees themselves.
Runestad said Michigan receives more refugees per capita than any other state in the U.S., but it lacks guidelines for defining how many refugees and families the state is capable of serving.
"There is currently no system involving state and local governments for oversight of refugees entering the state," he said. "This is not only a security risk to our state, but is wide open for human trafficking abuses as well."
He said, "As a parent, I have a duty to protect my children, and as a state lawmaker, I have a duty to protect the rights of our local governments and our rights under the U.S. Constitution and federal law."
Under federal immigration law, local government must be notified before the placement of refugees but this is not done, Runestad said.
"This is being totally ignored leaving counties, schools and the state in the dark until placements have been made. Moreover, placements are made without regard to the ability of the school district to provide services or employability opportunities for the individual refugee," he said.
He said the bills "propose an outline for communication between state departments and local governments in order to maximize placement success and minimize security risks for the state and refugees as allowed under current immigration law."
The bills are now with the House Committee on Oversight and Ethics.
Dearborn, Michigan has the highest concentration of Arab-Muslims while Hamtramck became the first U.S. city to elect a Muslim-majority city council, WND reported.
Non-Muslim residents in Sterling Heights are concerned about traffic and noise as a mosque has been proposed to be constructed in the area.
A mosque is being planned in Pittsfield Township, but the local zoning board denied the request for rezoning, prompting the U.S. Justice Department to sue the township.
The report said the Obama administration wants to resettle 5,100 Syrian refugees in Michigan this year.
The refugees are chosen by the United Nations and screened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FBI, although the FBI director said screening of Syrian refugees is impossible and with risks.
A group called Secure Michigan has formed a watchdog over the refugee resettlement programme in the state. The group has urged Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to renew his opposition to the Syrian refugee programme.
The Obama administration wants to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. this year, about half of them in Michigan.
