Bobby Jindal seeks to forbid Syrian refugees in Louisiana
Gov. Bobby Jindal speaks in Greenville, S.C. On Monday, Nov. 16, 2015, he issued an executive order to prevent Syrian refugees from being resettled in Louisiana. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File) (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)
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Gov. Bobby Jindal issued an executive order Monday (Nov. 16) to prevent Syrian refugees from being resettled in Louisiana. He cited Friday's terrorist attacks that killed 129 people in Paris and injured hundreds more.
Jindal, who is running as a right-wing candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, cited a section of the Louisiana Constitution that says "during times of emergency ... the governor has emergency powers to protect the citizens and property of the state of Louisiana." He also sent a letter Saturday to demand information from the Obama administration about Syrian refugees being placed in Louisiana.
The Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq, has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks. Jindal said that bringing Syrian refugees into the U.S. without "proper prior screening and follow-up monitoring could result in a threat to the citizens and property of this state."
The State Department says 14 Syrians have been resettled in Louisiana since Jan. 1, despite social media reports and blog posts asserting thousands. Thirteen of the 14 refugees were brought to the New Orleans area.
Syrian civil war refugees who come to southeast Louisiana are assisted by the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans' Refugee Resettlement Services, which receives referrals from the federal government and helps the refugees find a place to live, apply for jobs and more. Catholic Charities spokeswoman Sarah McDonald said the organization had no immediate comment on Jindal's order.
Jindal, a Roman Catholic, joins the governors of five other states -- Texas, Michigan, Indiana, Arkansas and Alabama -- who have announced they don't want Syrian refugees to be resettled in their states.
President Barack Obama in September announced plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States, in an effort to help with the refugee crisis in Europe. More than 4 million people have fled civil war in Syria, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
How many Syrian refugees are in the New Orleans area? 13, officials say
As of Sunday, the U.S. government had resettled a total 1,809 Syrian nationals since Jan. 1, the State Department said. Thirty-two states have taken in Syrian refugees, with the highest numbers in California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida.
All refugees undergo multiple security checks before they can be resettled in the U.S., officials say, but critics have said the screening isn't stringent enough. The State Department says the screenings for refugees involve work by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI's terrorist screening center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and other agencies. However, the government hasn't publicly released many details about the screenings, saying the work is classified.
Jindal, who is running as a right-wing candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, cited a section of the Louisiana Constitution that says "during times of emergency ... the governor has emergency powers to protect the citizens and property of the state of Louisiana." He also sent a letter Saturday to demand information from the Obama administration about Syrian refugees being placed in Louisiana.
The Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq, has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks. Jindal said that bringing Syrian refugees into the U.S. without "proper prior screening and follow-up monitoring could result in a threat to the citizens and property of this state."
The State Department says 14 Syrians have been resettled in Louisiana since Jan. 1, despite social media reports and blog posts asserting thousands. Thirteen of the 14 refugees were brought to the New Orleans area.
Syrian civil war refugees who come to southeast Louisiana are assisted by the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans' Refugee Resettlement Services, which receives referrals from the federal government and helps the refugees find a place to live, apply for jobs and more. Catholic Charities spokeswoman Sarah McDonald said the organization had no immediate comment on Jindal's order.
Jindal, a Roman Catholic, joins the governors of five other states -- Texas, Michigan, Indiana, Arkansas and Alabama -- who have announced they don't want Syrian refugees to be resettled in their states.
President Barack Obama in September announced plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States, in an effort to help with the refugee crisis in Europe. More than 4 million people have fled civil war in Syria, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
How many Syrian refugees are in the New Orleans area? 13, officials say
As of Sunday, the U.S. government had resettled a total 1,809 Syrian nationals since Jan. 1, the State Department said. Thirty-two states have taken in Syrian refugees, with the highest numbers in California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida.
All refugees undergo multiple security checks before they can be resettled in the U.S., officials say, but critics have said the screening isn't stringent enough. The State Department says the screenings for refugees involve work by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI's terrorist screening center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and other agencies. However, the government hasn't publicly released many details about the screenings, saying the work is classified.
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