Governors in at least 15 states say they will welcome Syrian refugees

Syrian refugees arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos last month. (Photo: Santi Palacios/AP)

More than half the nation’s governors — all but one of them Republican — say they will refuse to accept any refugees from Syria in the wake of last week’s deadly terror attacks in Paris. But at least 15 — nearly all Democrats — are refusing to join them.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says his state will welcome refugees from the war-torn region and cautioned his fellow governors not to give in to “fear,” “hate” and “divisiveness.”

“I think our nation is tested from time to time, and I think this is one of those times,” Inslee, a Democrat, told NPR. “The country has always been a place of refuge for those who are persecuted.”

Inslee was among the governors who took part in a conference call with White House officials seeking to assure them that President Obama’s previously announced plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees, which includes a 12- to 18-month security screening process for refugees, is rigorous.

“I think the screening process we have now [for refugees] is much more robust than the screening process we have for people coming here on tourist visas,” Inslee said. “You know, some of these terrorists were from Belgium. And they could get on a plane on a tourist visa and come to New York or Seattle, for that matter, with much less screening than someone who sought refugee status.”

>> Related: Obama administration defends its Syrian refugee screening

Inslee dismissed the security risk cited by governors, like Alabama’s Robert Bentley, who oppose Syrian resettlements in their states.

 

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