Texas governor says state won’t accept Syrian refugees
Published 10:48 am Monday, November 16, 2015
- Greg Abbott answers a question during the final gubernatorial debate in Dallas in September. Photo: Andy Jacobsohn /Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state health officials in charge of Texas’ refugee resettlement program not to accept any more Syrians following the Paris terrorist attacks.
In a letter Monday to President Barack Obama, Abbott also urged scrapping federal plans to accept more Syrian refugees into the country as a whole. He said the federal government can’t perform “proper security checks” on Syrians.
Texas joins Alabama, where Gov. Robert Bentley announced Sunday that he would refuse Syrian refugees relocating to his state.
In Michigan, fellow Republican Gov. Rick Synder is postponing efforts to accept Syrian refugees until federal officials review security procedures.
And Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is seeking the GOP presidential nomination, sent a letter to Obama demanding more information about how Syrians are resettled in his state.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.