Wall Street Journal
By Jon Kamp
December 18, 2015
The
debate over Syrian refugees in the U.S. is stoking an unusual struggle
between nonprofit groups helping people from broken lands and governors
in about two dozen states
who object to their arrivals.
Once
the Department of Homeland Security clears refugees after reviews by
multiple agencies, the heavy lifting falls to nine resettlement
agencies, all nonprofits, and
their hundreds of local offices and affiliates. The agencies, many with
religious affiliations, perform a range of tasks, from meeting Syrian
refugees at airports to helping them find jobs and apartments. They also
aid families in navigating states’ public-assistance
systems and enrolling children in schools.
But
lately, these groups have found themselves at odds with many governors,
almost all Republicans, who are voicing concerns about Syrian refugees
or actively trying to
halt their settlement, citing possible security risks in the wake of
the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris. Perpetrators included Europeans
radicalized after travel to Syria, and French officials said one
attacker posed as a Syrian refugee in order to enter
Europe.
Georgia
Gov. Nathan Deal, shortly after the attack, announced an executive
order barring state agencies from any involvement in accepting Syrian
refugees.
“Until
the federal government and Congress conducts a thorough review of
current screening procedures and background checks, we will take every
measure available to us
at the state level to ensure the safety of Georgians,” he said at the
time.
That
didn’t stop World Relief, an agency based in Baltimore, from placing a
Syrian family in Atlanta. Joshua Sieweke, who heads World Relief’s
Atlanta office, said Thursday
the Syrian family is still waiting to hear if the state will grant
basic benefits like food stamps and Medicaid. Mr. Deal is waiting for an
opinion from the state attorney general, his spokeswoman said.
The
International Rescue Committee placed a family of six Syrians in Texas
more than a week ago, reuniting them with relatives, despite the
objections of state officials.
They were among 21 Syrians resettled in Texas during the week by
different agencies.
“It’s
less about challenging the state than continuing our work,” said Donna
Duvin, executive director of IRC’s Dallas field office. Syrian families
are victims of violence
and persecution, she said, adding: “We’re very confident that we’re
operating within the law.”
The
Obama administration plans to bring in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees
in the current fiscal year, part of an overall rise to 85,000 refugees
from around the world,
up from 70,000 the prior fiscal year. Proponents have said refugee
screening, which can take years, is the most intensive vetting process
for any travelers to the U.S.
Those
reviews may include several hours of interviews with the U.N. refugee
aid agency, which also collects personal documents and could take months
to complete its security
review. The U.N. agency also scans applicants’ irises. From there, the
U.S. reviews include interviews and screening by multiple intelligence
and security agencies. Syrians go through an added security layer with
classified details, according to the State
Department.
The
State Department pays the resettlement agencies $2,025 per refugee to
cover the cost of helping them for their initial 30 to 90 days in the
U.S. After that, the Department
of Health and Human Services offers support, though the amount differs
from state to state.
A
State Department representative said the agency gives state refugee
coordinators detailed reports each month on recent and coming arrivals.
Each quarter, the State Department
provides lists of refugees who could be sent to given states because of
family or personal contacts there. But personal details regarding
individual refugees are considered confidential.
Although
nonprofits have helped refugees for decades, the 1980 Refugee Act
solidified the resettlement process, said Courtland Robinson, deputy
director at the Center
for Refugee and Disaster Response at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health. Back then, the U.S. had an influx of refugees from
Communist regimes in Southeast Asia.
Officials
with resettlement groups said they were surprised by the states’
positions because they are accustomed to bipartisan support for their
work. “We’ve never seen
anything like this before,” said Mark Hetfield, the chief executive at
HIAS Inc. Previously known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the New
York-based resettlement agency traces its roots to 134 years ago, when
it helped Jews escape pogroms in Russia and
what is now Eastern Europe. Today, it helps refugees from around the
world, including Syria.
Catholic
Charities in Indianapolis challenged Indiana by settling a Syrian
refugee family there this month. The family, with two small children,
had lived in a refugee
camp in Jordan, according to Greg Otolski, spokesman for the
Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
A
spokesman for Gov. Mike Pence said in a recent statement that Indiana
would “continue to suspend its participation in the resettlement of
Syrian refugees until the federal
government takes action to address the concerns raised about this
program.”
Last
month, Exodus Refugee Immigration in Indiana, a 31-year-old nonprofit,
redirected an Indiana-bound Syrian family to Connecticut because of
Indiana’s objections to
bringing Syrian refugees into state. But going forward, the group
intends to settle Syrians in Indianapolis despite state objections,
according to Cole Varga, interim executive director of the group, which
now has several more Syrian families lined up for
resettlement, he said.
The
Texas Health and Human Services Commission sought a temporary
restraining order in federal court to block refugees. But a judge denied
the latest request, ruling that
concerns about terrorist infiltration are too speculative.
Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott is supporting federal legislation introduced by Sen.
Ted Cruz (R., Texas) that would give governors the ability to reject
refugees over security
concerns.
Despite
the governors’ pushback, resettlement agencies say communities remain
welcoming, with churches stepping up to help. “That is what enabled us
to do what we did
with so much confidence,” said Mr. Sieweke, from World Relief’s Atlanta
office.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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