AP
(Michigan)
By Jeff Karoub
November 23, 2015
The
mayors of Detroit and Austin said Monday they are welcoming Syrian
refugees despite pushback by their states’ Republican governors
following the deadly attacks in
Paris.
Detroit
Mayor Mike Duggan said his city can support 50 Syrian families annually
for the next three years and is “moving down that road.” Mayor Steve
Adler said Austin
has accepted three Syrian refugees in the past two years and another is
coming.
The
Democrats spoke during a White House-arranged conference call, a week
after numerous Republican governors spoke out against federal refugee
policies.
Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott has instructed refugee-resettling organizations to
stop helping Syrians. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who has lobbied federal
officials for refugees
and immigrants, urged a pause in the resettlement program until
security concerns are addressed.
Duggan,
who discussed refugee issues with Obama administration officials last
month during a two-day Washington trip, said he remains comfortable with
the refugee-vetting
process. He said the city has vacant housing that could accommodate
refugees, as well as support agencies and a large Syrian and Middle
Eastern community in the surrounding area.
He
said all mayors are “conscious of this terrorist threat,” which is
“very real.” But he called accepting refugees a “very human issue.”
Providing “refuge” to victims
of terror, he said, “is what this country is all about.”
“We stand in Detroit prepared to do our share,” he added.
Snyder
has tried to communicate his continued support for refugees and
encouraged his GOP colleagues to maintain a welcoming tone. He said the
pause he seeks need not
be long, but enough to ensure that the appropriate reviews are being
conducted.
Duggan
did not say what effect Snyder’s call for a delay might have on
Detroit’s plans. The Associated Press requested additional comment from a
Duggan spokesman.
As
for Texas, Abbott has said since last week that he’s keeping Texas safe
by moving to refuse Syrians refugees and that his reading of federal
law says he has the authority
to do so — even though legal experts disagree.
Adler
agreed with Duggan that refugees are terror victims themselves. Adler
added that refugee resettlement organizations in Austin aren’t sure what
effect Abbott’s order
will have, but the mayor said he’s been told nothing would change
immediately.
“Everyone is just waiting to see what happens,” he said.
The
call also featured former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, who described
refugee screening as a
“comprehensive, multi-layered, exhaustive process” that typically takes
up to two years but can be longer. Refugees from Syria and Iraq, he
added, go through an additional security check.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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