MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday expressed his frustrations with the Syrian refugee vetting process and blasted the Obama Administration for not keeping states involved and informed with the latest information.
“I continue to have great concerns with the refugee vetting process, particularly the lack of state involvement, oversight or knowledge,” Governor Bentley said. “I cannot help but believe the intent appears to be an effort to circumvent states and our ability to adequately protect our people and ensure the safety of our citizens.”
In the wake of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris last month, Governor Bentley was among the first governors to announce his intention to refuse Syrian refugees slated to be placed in his state by the federal government. According to the U.S. State Department, more than 100 Syrian and other Middle Eastern refugees were scheduled to be housed by Catholic Social Services (CSS) in Mobile.
“After full consideration of this weekend’s attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris, I will oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program,” Bentley said in a statement. “As your Governor, I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm’s way.”
Approximately 29 other Governors followed suit shortly thereafter.
While the federal government and various legal experts insisted that states do not have the right to refuse refugees allowed into the country by the feds, Obama administration officials did concede that Alabama is entitled to receive quarterly reports on any refugees from Catholic Social Services (CSS). Alabama has not received any of the required reports from CSS, according to the Bentley administration.
In a letter last week to Obama Administration officials, Governor Bentley requested that the State Department order CSS to deliver the refugee reports to the Governor’s office.
On Monday, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough responded to Governor Bentley’s concerns by offering to allow the National Governors Association (NGA) to serve as an intermediary for governors seeking to have issues with the refugee resettlement program addressed by the federal government. Bentley balked at the idea.
“I cannot accept that proposal as a workable solution,” Governor Bentley wrote in his response to McDonough on Wednesday. “There should be no filter between the federal government and state governments, and especially between the President and Governors regarding an issue of such high importance as national security. As I expressed in my letter last week, Alabama has not received any refugee reports regarding any refugee of any national origin. I do not believe placing a filter such as NGA between the Administration and the Governor’s Office addresses this current problem, nor does it solve future concerns regarding the vetting process.”
A link to Governor Bentley’s letter sent today can be found here.
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