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Obama
Administration Defies Court’s Directive; Settles Syrians in Texas Without
Advance Notice or Information
AUSTIN – The Obama Administration
has admitted in federal district court that it failed to provide the State with
advance notice of Syrian refugees being settled in Texas, defying a judge’s
directive. Additionally, another group of Syrian refugees were scheduled to
arrive in Texas yesterday, and Texas has not been provided adequate information
about these individuals, as required by law. The Attorney General’s Office
today made a filing highlighting the need for injunctive relief in light of
these recent events.
“The Obama Administration
continues settling Syrian refugees in our neighborhoods and communities under a
cloak of secrecy,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Last weekend the federal
government settled refugees with no advance notice, in complete violation of a
court’s directive, and were scheduled to bring more refugees to Texas without
providing adequate information about who they are. The threat to our
communities by foreign terrorists is real. The greater concern is not what we
know about these refugees; it’s what we do not know.”
On Dec. 2, Texas filed a
lawsuit against the federal government to halt the relocation of refugees from
Syria in the state because the federal government had not consulted with state
authorities in advance of such relocations, in violation of the Refugee Act of
1980. The federal government is directing at least one nonprofit entity tasked
with placing the refugees in Texas from disclosing even basic information that
would help resolve Texas’s security concerns.
On Dec. 7, a federal district
judge directed that the federal government provide the state with advance
notice of its intent to settle refugees within the state.
On Jan. 22, the federal
government submitted a filing admitting it resettled refugees in Texas without
notifying the court or Texas.
Texas takes in roughly 10
percent of the refugees resettled in the United States, partnering with local
volunteer agencies to help refugees transition to the State and pay associated
costs. In this case, authorities have left Texas uninformed about refugees that
could well pose a security risk to Texans and gives them no say in the process.
Members of the federal
government have expressed concern regarding this massive expansion of refugees
from an area engulfed in fighting with ISIS. FBI Director James Comey told
Congress that the federal government cannot conduct effective security checks
on Syrian nationals, testifying that “we can query our database until the cows
come home, but nothing will show up because we have no record of them.” National
Intelligence Director James Clapper summed up the worries of these federal
counterterrorism experts: “I don’t, obviously, put it past the likes of ISIL to
infiltrate operatives among these refugees.”
Earlier this month, federal authorities
arrested two individual admitted to the United States through the refugee
program for activities relating to supporting terrorism.
This is the second time in
the past year that the Obama Administration has either defied or misled a
federal court on major immigration issues. In March 2015, the Administration
admitted that tens of thousands of expanded work permits had been issued to
unauthorized aliens, in direct contradiction to the facts they presented in
U.S. federal court.
To view the recent filing,
please visit: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/files/epress/065_Plaintiffs_Response_to_Federal_Defendants_Notice_of_Arrivial_of_Sy....pdf
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