Lawmakers
urge Md. Gov. Hogan to ease stance on Syrian refugees
Several dozen Maryland state
lawmakers, including Democratic House nominee Jamie B. Raskin, have written
Gov. Larry Hogan (R), urging him to endorse the settlement of Syrian refugees
in the state.
Hogan joined other governors last
year in saying he would oppose the entry of refugees unless the federal
government could provide specific assurances that they are properly vetted and
do not pose a security threat.
State Department officials have said
repeatedly that all refugees — including Syrians — undergo rigorous screening
before being granted refugee status.
But Hogan spokesman Matt Clark said
Wednesday that the governor’s position has not changed. “To my knowledge, the
federal government has not provided any additional information on changes . . .
in the process,” Clark said.
Since Oct.
1, 27 refugees from Syria have been resettled in Maryland, according to the
State Department’s Refugee Processing Center. Such resettlements
are generally coordinated between the State Department and nonprofit groups —
state governments cannot halt the flow even if they want to. Nine Syrians were
resettled in November, one in January, 10 in March and seven in April.
Opposition to the resettlement of
Syrian refugees in the United States grew last year in the wake of terrorist
attacks in Europe. More than 30 governors — most of them Republicans — took
stances similar to Hogan’s, despite assurances from advocacy groups and the
Obama administration that refugees are thoroughly screened, pose no threat and
desperately need a place to go.
The legislators’ letter to Hogan
said the signers were troubled that some elected officials “want us to turn our
back” on “our essential values and laws.”
“Our nation and our state were
founded to give people fleeing persecution a safe haven,” the letter said.
“Welcoming Syrian refugees . . . speaks to
our best traditions and hopes for the future.”
The letter was initiated by Raskin,
a state senator from Montgomery County and the Democratic nominee to succeed
outgoing U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D), and Dels. Brooke E. Lierman
(D-Baltimore) and David Moon (D-Montgomery).
“Maryland itself was founded by
early refugees, seeking freedom,” Lierman said. “Today, those refugees are from
all over the world, including Syria, and they need our compassion.”
The letter said Hogan and his
administration should not succumb to “demagoguery and paranoia” regarding
Syrian refugees. It echoed statements in recent months from local government
leaders in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Howard counties, Baltimore City and
several towns and cities in the Washington suburbs, all of which said the state
should welcome refugees.
“Maryland should not fall prey to
the anti-Muslim sentiment being stoked by the likes of Donald Trump,” Moon
said, referring to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who has
said most Muslim non-citizens should be barred from entering the country. “The
effort to block Syrian refugees from locating in our state is just one
manifestation of this misguided bigotry, and it must be stopped.”
Ruben Chandrasekar, an official of
the International Rescue Committee in Baltimore, said the agency has resettled
60 Syrian refugees in Maryland in the past two years and is prepared to place
as many as 100 in the coming year.
“If President Obama follows through
on his promise to bring in 10,000 Syrian refugees, we hope to have a very busy
summer,” said Chandrasekar, whose organization worked closely with the advocacy
groups that spearheaded the letter from lawmakers to Hogan.
“Many communities here and all over
the country want to welcome and help the Syrians,” Chandrasekar said. “They are
people who have fled war and terror, they have been carefully vetted, and all
they want is peace and a chance to provide for their families.”
Pamela Constable contributed to this
report.
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