Mayors from five California cities on Friday signed a letter urging Congress not to reject vetted refugees, including those from Syria, that seek to come to the United States.
The move comes in the wake of the Paris terror attacks just over a week ago that left over 100 dead. At least two of the terrorists involved are believed to have filtered into Europe posing as refugees.
Breitbart London further reported that the mastermind behind the attacks is also believed to have posed as a Syrian refugee.
The five California mayors–Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath and West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Calbadon–joined 57 other mayors from 27 other states in signing the letter from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The letter begins:
We write to register the support of the nation’s mayors for the U.S. refugee resettlement system and to recognize the importance of continuing to welcome refugees to our country and to our cities.
The letter goes on to note that “some” have called on Congress to “halt the entry of refugees, particularly Syrian refugees, to this nation.”
These 62 Mayors then urge Congress to “resist this call and take no action that will prevent Syrian refugees from entering the United States after they have completed the screening process.”
Governors of 29 states called on Obama to halt the influx of Syrian refugees to the U.S. as of Tuesday. The governors cited concern over the safety of their home states. All but one are Republican governors.
California Governor Jerry Brown, who took a position in opposition to Vietnamese refugees in 1975, has flipped to advocate for taking in Syrian refugees.
White House officials held a conference call on Tuesday with 34 of the country’s governors in an attempt to reassure them that refugees are screened prior to entry ABC News reported.
Political Blotter’ Josh Richman quoted Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf–not a signatory to the letter–who said Monday, “now is a time for us, as Americans, as Oaklanders to turn toward each other–not on each other. We should not let fear and anger lull us into accepting the false choice between safety and compassion. We can keep our communities safe at the same time that we show compassion for those in need.”
In contrast, Texas Governor Greg Abbott wrote in a Monday letter to President Obama that he would refuse Syrian refugees, stating, “The threat posed to Texas by ISIS is real.” Abbott continued, “ISIS claimed credit last May when two terrorist gunmen launched an attack in Garland, Texas. Less than two weeks later, the FBI arrested an Iraqi-born man in North Texas and charged him with lying to federal agents about traveling to Syria to fight with ISIS.”
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.