A total of 27 state governors have declared they will not cooperate with the federal government’s Syrian refugee settlement program, but the wife of one of the governors thinks that her husband is just grandstanding.
Idaho Gov. C. L. Otter issued a statement Monday asking President Barack Obama to halt the refugee settlement program, at least until there’s a much more serious vetting process in place to screen out terrorists.
“While I understand that immigration and refugee resettlement are authorized under federal law, I am duty-bound to do whatever I can to protect the people of Idaho from harm,” Otter wrote in a letter. “Instead of Congress rubber-stamping this program each year, we ask that you and Congress work with states and governors to thoroughly review this process and how states are affected.”
Nevertheless, Otter pledged to “use any legal means available to me to protect the citizens I serve.”
His wife, Lori Otter, thinks Otter’s move is just political grandstanding. In response to a comment on Facebook, Lori wrote that, “[T]he situation is a federal one and no amount of grandstanding by a governor is going to change that.”
“People need reassurance and a paper bag to breath into,” Lori added. “They are concerned and scared.”
Yet, by joining forces and not cooperating with the federal government, states can exercise a lot of power. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal issued an executive order Monday, pointing to a section in the Louisiana Constitution as justification for keeping Syrian refugees out of the state. That section states, “during times of emergency…the governor has emergency powers to protect the citizens and property of the state of Louisiana.”
About 2,000 refugees have entered the United States since 2012. Obama has promised to bring in 10,000 more, triggering mass opposition from over half of all states in light of the Paris attacks, which left at least 129 people dead.
“We remain steadfastly committed to plan to resettle 10,000 refugees. We think we can do this safely and in way that represents American values,” Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, told NBC News. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is one of the charitable and faith-based groups responsible for deciding where these refugees will be settled, and according to spokesman Kevin Appleby, the group will move ahead regardless of political opposition.
Otter’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation by press time.
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