Opposition to the entry of Syrian refugees in the United States has snowballed with at least half of the country's states following the lead of Michigan and Alabama in shutting their doors on these refugees amid growing fears that some of them could be potential terrorists.
After the governors of Michigan and Alabama announced on Sunday that they're pulling back on their plan to take in the refugees, other governors also decided to do the same amid heightened security concerns following Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris, ABC News reported.
The states that have announced a no-entry policy on Syrian refugees include Oklahoma, Nebraska, Idaho, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Georgia, Maine, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina and Iowa.
Governors Rick Snyder of Michigan, Robert Bentley of Alabama, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said in separate statements Sunday and Monday that their states would not be accepting refugees from Syria until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security fully reviewed its screening procedures.
"Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration," Snyder said. "But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents."
Michigan, which has one of the biggest Arab populations in the country, has already accepted at least 200 Syrian refugees.
No refugees have been resettled yet in Alabama, and in his statement Sunday, Governor Bentley said things would continue that way. "I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way," Bentley said. "I will not place Alabamians at even the slightest, possible risk of an attack on our people."
Meanwhile, Texas Governor Abbott said on Monday he has directed the concerned agency in his state to stop relocating Syrian refugees. The governor also said he wrote a letter to President Obama, informing him that, "Given the tragic attacks in Paris and the threats we have already seen, Texas cannot participate in any programme that will result in Syrian refugees—any one of whom could be connected to terrorism—being resettled in Texas."
"And I urge you, as President, to halt your plans to allow Syrians to be resettled anywhere in the United States," Abbott added.
Governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nathan Deal of Georgia both issued executive orders on Monday to stop the resettlement of Syrian refugees in their states. Deal also called on the Obama administration to work with Georgia authorities in confirming the background of the 59 Syrian refugees already relocated to Georgia.
In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant said he'd do "everything humanly possible" to stop more Syrian refugees to be relocated to his state.
"The policy of bringing these individuals into the country is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous," he wrote in a statement.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said the attacks in Paris remind of the "all-too-real" security threats facing the country.
"We must find a way to balance our tradition as a state welcoming of refugees while ensuring the safety and security of our citizens," he said in a statement.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory asked the federal government to "cease" the relocation of refugees in his state. "I care for these [refugees] but what worries me is that some of these people may actually be ISIS," he said.
Just hours after saying she would not call for a change in the state's current refugee policy, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley reversed her position and requested the federal government not to send Syrian refugees to her state.
The states drew fire from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), accusing them of fabricating a link between the Paris attacks and refugee relocation in the U.S.
"Making policy based on this fear mongering is wrong for two reasons. It is factually wrong for blaming refugees for the very terror they are fleeing, and it is legally wrong because it violates our laws and the values on which our country was founded," said ACLU director Cecillia Wang in a statement.
More than 7 million Syrians have been displaced by the civil war in their home country. As of the end of September, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had referred 18,000 cases to the U.S. for resettlement.
The United States has pledged to take 15,000 Syrian refugees for the new fiscal year that began in October. By next year, an estimated 85,000 refugees would have arrived in the U.S. for resettlement, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sept. 20.
