Very interesting. While we were all distracted by the funeral for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday the White House was meeting with members of the National Governors Association (winter meeting) to assure them that it was perfectly safe for them to ‘welcome’ Syrian refugees to their states.
As far as I can tell, this Washington Times story is the only report on this intriguing bit of news.
Obama administration officials tried to reassure dozens of wary governors in a closed-door meeting that President Obama’s proposal to relocate Middle Eastern refugees in their states is safe, two governors said Monday.
The briefing by senior administration officials last weekend was an effort to “find solutions to some misunderstandings and apprehensions that are out there,” said Gov. Gary Herbert, Utah Republican and chairman of the National Governors Association.
Asked whether the meeting eased states’ concerns about accepting refugees from crisis areas such as Syria and Iraq, Mr. Herbert replied, “We still have work to do.”
After Mr. Obama announced his plan last fall to admit up to 10,000 refugees into the U.S. this year, governors of 30 states from Maine to Wyoming publicly asked for the resettlement of Syrian refugees to stop until security concerns and procedures could be addressed. New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan was the lone Democrat in the group.
The resistance to refugees intensified after Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, which raised fears of Islamic State fighters sneaking into the U.S. as refugees.
Terry McAuliffe is confused! He is not alone! The UN/US State Department Refugee Admissions Program suffers every day from confusion as a result of the secrecy it has operated under for 35 years.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, conceded that some states “are confused about the process to go through.”
“A lot of issues were raised. We’re continuing to have the dialogue, and [Obama administration officials] promised they would get back to us with additional information as we go forward,” Mr. McAuliffe said.
Good luck getting more information.
Hmmm? I wonder if Tennessee Gov. Haslam was at the meeting?
Was your governor there? You should try to find out!
So far Syrian (mostly Sunni Muslims) are only trickling in, see here.