Mike Pence vice presidential campaign, 2016/Syrian refugees
The overview of the issue below was current as of the 2016 election.
The 2016 presidential candidates quickly took to Twitter and their websites to release statements expressing their support for the people of France after members of the Islamic State (ISIS) killed at least 129 people and wounded more than 350 during a terrorist attack that occurred at six separate locations in Paris on November 13, 2015.[1]
After reports surfaced showing that one of the terrorists responsible for the attacks in Paris may have traveled to France posing as a Syrian refugee, Obama’s plan to allow 10,000 new Syrian refugees into the United States was criticized by most of the GOP candidates. More than half of the country's governors—including former Republican presidential candidates Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Donald Trump's 2016 running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence—announced that their states would not accept Syrian refugees.
Some governors said that they would reconsider the ban only after the Obama administration reviewed its procedures for allowing Syrian refugees into the country. According to American University law professor Stephen I. Vladeck, states cannot legally refuse to accept the refugees, but they can choose to not cooperate, which is what Kasich and Jindal said they would to do.[2][3]
See below what Mike Pence and the 2016 Republican Party Platform said about Syrian refugees.
Pence on Syrian refugees
- After the November 13, 2015, terror attacks in Paris, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) issued a directive to state agencies to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state. In July 2016, Pence appeared on "60 Minutes" and said, “In Indiana, we suspended the Syrian refugee program" following the terrorist attack in Paris. According to The Washington Post, one family that was set to resettle in Indiana was redirected to Connecticut after Pence’s November 2015 announcement. On February 29, 2016, a federal judge blocked Pence's directive blocking state agencies from helping Syrian refugees resettle in Indiana. The judge said Pence's order "clearly discriminates" against Syrian refugees. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt found that Pence’s directive “clearly constitutes national origin discrimination” in a policy of “punishing Syrian refugees already in Indiana in the hopes that no more will come.”[4][5][6]
- Also according to The Washington Post, as of late August 2016, 140 Syrian refugees have resettled in Indiana and more are expected.[7]
- Refugee resettlement groups in Indianapolis ignored Pence’s November 2015 order. During a meeting in December 2015, Pence told Archbishop Joseph Tobin he was "concerned that Syrian refugees could pose a security risk and that the United States has not put proper screening procedures in place."[5]
- Discussing Pence's November 2015 directive, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (R) wrote, “Governor Pence has merely suspended, in part, a discretionary federal grant program.” Zoeller continued, “This is meant as a deterrent, but if those agencies wish to resettle those refugees regardless, the Governor will not take further actions (besides denying their claims) to stop them.”[5]
- Pence sought to withhold federal funding from groups in Indiana that help Syrian refugees obtain services and training.[8]
| The 2016 Republican Party Platform on Syrian refugees | ||||||
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Recent news
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Paris victims: From all over the world and all walks of life," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Federal court blasts Pence on Syrian refugees," October 3, 2016
- ↑ NBC News, "Federal Judge Rules Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Can't Block Syrian Refugees," March 1, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Washington Post, "Mike Pence wants to keep Syrian refugees out of Indiana. They’re coming anyway." August 28, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Mike Pence's Illegal Treatment of Syrian Refugees," September 15, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Mike Pence wants to keep Syrian refugees out of Indiana. They’re coming anyway." August 28, 2016
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Lawyers grilled over Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's Syrian refugees order," September 14, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Republican Party, "The 2016 Republican Party Platform," accessed August 24, 2016
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