Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says state won’t accept Syrian refugees
Group says it has not helped resettle any Syrians in state
Madison— Joining nearly half the governors in the country, Gov. Scott Walker and other Wisconsin Republicans said Monday they would oppose the settling of Syrian refugees in the state in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in France.
“Along with governors across the country, I have deep concerns about (President Barack Obama’s) plan to accept 10,000 or more Syrian refugees, especially given that one of the Paris attackers was reportedly a Syrian refugee. In consultation with our (Wisconsin National Guard) Adjutant General (Donald Dunbar), who also serves as my Homeland Security Advisor, it is clear that the influx of Syrian refugees poses a threat,” Walker said in a statement.
“I am calling upon the president to immediately suspend the program pending a full review of its security and acceptance procedures. The state of Wisconsin will not accept new Syrian refugees.”
Likewise Monday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said he opposed the proposed settling of the refugees. Vos and 49 other Assembly Republicans sent a letter Monday to the Obama administration asking it not to settle Syrian refugees in Wisconsin.
Obama, a Democrat, has argued that Americans have a moral obligation to help Syrians who are themselves the victims of terrorism.
“We do not close our hearts to these victims of such violence and somehow start equating the issue of refugees with the issue of terrorism,” Obama said Monday.
The calls by Walker and other state officials could influence the federal debate over the refugees, but advocates such as the International Rescue Committee have pointed out that refugees in the United States arrive with a visa, permanent legal status and the right to work here.
Walker’s office didn’t clarify what authority the State of Wisconsin would have to block the entry of a legal resident of the United States to the state or how state officials would even know if a refugee moved to Wisconsin.
Mary Flynn, the refugee resettlement manager for Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, said that so far her group has not been involved in locating any Syrian refugees in the state. Of the 70,000 refugees who entered the U.S. in the 12 months ended on Sept. 30, about 2,000 came from Syria.
It can take refugees years to gain entry into the U.S. by working with American officials and the United Nations, she said.
“Refugees undergo a very thorough and comprehensive security check,” Flynn said.
Officials with Catholic Charities in Milwaukee, which operates similar refugee services, could not be reached Monday.
Ryan, Johnson statements
In Congress, U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan of Janesville reportedly has asked the Obama administration to brief all House members on the Paris attacks and also tasked House committees with recommending how to ensure potential refugees don’t have terrorist ties.
“Look, we’ve always been a generous nation taking in refugees. But this is a unique situation. This is a situation where you have single men coming over, which is not women and children,” Ryan said in a radio interview.
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who faces a rematch next year against Democrat and former Sen. Russ Feingold, said he would use his position as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to make sure that the Obama administration is properly vetting potential refugees.
“To the extent this administration allows Syrian refugees into America, it should be done using a common-sense prioritization of those most in need and who pose no threat. The first priority should be women and children relatives of Syrian-American citizens who would be financially responsible for their relatives,” Johnson said in a statement.
French anthem played
On Monday, the Wisconsin Assembly began its session with all members silently holding hands as the French national anthem played. They followed that by singing the U.S. national anthem.
Vos said a state proposal by Democrats seeking to settle Syrian refugees would not be taken up, and in his statement Walker likewise opposed that proposal. The bill, introduced just hours before the attacks in Paris, would require the state to apply for a federal grant to resettle 937 or more Syrian refugees in Wisconsin.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) also expressed doubts about the bill in light of the attacks in Paris.
“I think we have to triple check if we were going to accept any refugees,” Barca said. “The bar has been raised tremendously.”
But state Rep. Daniel Riemer (D-Milwaukee) stood behind the legislation. The Paris attacks highlight why so many people are fleeing from the Islamic State in Syria, he said.
“I think the United States security apparatus has the ability to screen people to prevent people from coming into the country to harm people, to harm Americans,” he said.
Rep. Tom Larson (R-Colfax) said he signed onto the bill initially for humanitarian reasons but dropped his name from the bill on Monday after researching the issue more thoroughly.
“There’s no way they can vet these people. They just don’t have enough people to do that here,” he said.