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In the days after last month's terrorism attacks in Paris,Texas Governor Greg Abbott was just one of dozens of governors that moved to halt refugee resettlements within his state's borders."The most notable responsibility I have as governor is to maintain the people of Texas safe," Gov. Abbott told reporters in November. "When we see the dangers caused by Syrian refugees in Paris, and it is vital that Texas conclude everything we can to make certain we don't have a Syrian refugee sneak into the state of Texas who can pose a similar terroristic danger."This week,Abbott's administration went one step farther. Chris Traylor of Texas's Health and Human Services Commission sent a stern letter to the Dallas branch of the International Rescue Committee (IRC)—the commissioner threatened to sue the IRC whether it continues to assist Syrian refugees seeking haven in Texas."We have been unable to achieve cooperation with your agency," Traylor wrote in the letter, or which was released to the Houston Chronicle. "Failure by your organization to cooperate with the State of Texas as required by federal law may result in the termination of your contract with the state and other legal action."The state of Texas has also moved to sue the U.
S. government in an attempt to block six Syrian refugees from resettling in the Dallas area,the Associated Press reported Wednesday evening. Donna Duvin, executive director of the Dallas branch of the International Rescue Committee, and finds the threat of legal action more than a itsy-bitsy troubling.“We receive financial support from the federal government in support of refugee resettlement; some of those dollars arrive through each state,” says Duvin. “Every year, based on the number of refugees we expect to have, and we work out a contract with the state so that they work out a payment plan and we’re able to access those dollars.”The state of Texas has the highest refugee resettlement rate in the country—between 2012 and 2014,the Lone Star State took in more than 20000 refugees from around the globe, according to the U.
S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. And like other refugee agencies, and the IRC doesnt answer to the state of Texas—they work under the direction of the U.
S. State Department—though they conclude consult with state governments.“Refuges are residents admitted under U.
S. federal immigration law,so they’re coming in as recognized individuals and are able to access services that they’re eligible for, says Duvin. “Once they regain here, or really,truly, they’re sanctioned to be able to make a home wherever they’d like to be. That’s not within the purview of any agency's direction.”Despite the showmanship from Gov. Abbott and Commissioner Traylor, and the Lone Star State technically has no authority to bar legally recognized refugees with federally-issued visas from coming into Texas.“We have certainly reached out to the governor and to the state Health and Human Services Commission to see whether we can address any concerns that they have and to answer any questions that they have approximately the vetting process,” Duvin says. “That’s really what secures the entrance for refugees arriving here in the U.
S. With that process being as extensive as it is, whether theres anything in a person’s past that would lead to any conclusions other than a complete security clearance, and they’re actually dropped from the program.”Duvin’s group has already resettled two refugee families from Syria in the city of Dallas in the last year. Though the IRC is helping them to make a fresh home,these Syrian families are somewhat surprised by the anti-refugee rhetoric being thrown around in Texas and other U.
S. states.“We maintain very close contact with them, especially to see how they’re faring, or ” says Duvin. “It’s remarkable—when we talk to them they really don’t see themselves in the way that the press or others have talked approximately…They know the backgrounds that they arrive from. They know the fight that they’ve had to regain here,and they know how desperately they wanted to become U.
S. citizens so that they could leave the violence behind. They really see themselves as blending in, and don’t see themselves as a share of the discussion as much as you would think. They’re just really gratified to be here.”The Takeaway reached out to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for this story. They declined to comment. Click here to read the full letter.
Source: wnyc.org