Montana is one of only two states in America that have firmly closed their doors to Muslim migrants throughout the years. They plan to keep it this way, in the face of U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to absorb tens of thousands of Syrian refugees affected by the ongoing civil war in their own country.
Rural folk from the small towns of Helena and Missoula are planning to hold a protest rally on Monday morning to oppose plans to allow Muslim migrant settlements in their areas.
The residents are particularly protesting the Missoula Board of County Commissioners' request to the U.S. State Department to send Syrian refugees in their town, conveyed in a letter sent on Jan. 13.
"We look forward to seeing approximately 100 refugees per year resettled in Missoula," the letter stated, as quoted by WND.com.
The letter even portrayed Missoula as a place ideal for refugees from the Middle East.
"Missoula is an ideal city for resettling refugees," the letter stated. "Our community enjoys good schools, incredible natural beauty, and a low unemployment rate, among other factors."
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey, however, admitted earlier that it is impossible to vet all Syrian refugees, most of whom are Sunni Muslims, for potential ties to terrorist groups like the Islamic State.
Paul Nachman, a Bozeman activist who described Missoula as a town dominated by progressive politics, said Comey's statement shows how naive the commissioners are in proposing a plan to accept Syrian refugees in Montana.
He also questioned why the commissioners were "practically begging" for Syrian refugees to resettle in Montana.
Nachman likewise criticised Republican legislators in the state legislature for not strongly opposing the plan to accept Muslim migrants in Montana.
"They've done little to help us and have basically given lip-service," he told WND.com.
