Bishops, feds oppose Abbott on refugees
Both sides in the dispute cite federal law to make their case.
The Roman Catholic bishops of Texas said Wednesday that Catholic refugee agencies will not comply with a state directive that they stop resettling Syrians in Texas, even as state officials warned at least one local agency that failure to comply could result in being terminated from the state’s resettlement program.
The letter from Chris Traylor, executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, was directly at loggerheads with a letter also sent Wednesday to those same agencies from Robert Carey, head of the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, instructing them that they cannot comply with efforts by Greg Abbott and other governors to keep out Syrian refugees.
Both letters rely on federal law — Traylor on the requirement that local resettlement agencies consult and cooperate with the state, and Carey on federal anti-discrimination statutes.
In their statement, the bishops wrote, “Our Catholic refu-
gee agencies will continue to resettle refugees in the United States in accordance with our existing agreements and federal law.” The bishops issued the statement after conferring with one another Wednesday. “All cases will be handled in the same manner in which they have been handled in the past, and in agreement with established guidelines, which include sharing information with state and local stakeholders.”
Meanwhile, Carey, director of the federal office that distributes monies to local resettlement agencies through state governments, sent his letter to those local agencies asserting that states “may not deny ORR-funded benefits and services to refugees based on a refugee’s country of origin or religious affiliation.”
“Accordingly, states may not categorically deny ORR-funded benefits and services to Syrian refugees,” the letter continued. “Any state with such a policy would not be in compliance with the State Plan requirements, applicable statutes, and their own assurances, and could be subject to enforcement action, including suspension or termination.”
If that happened, it’s not clear what the impact would be on all resettlement activities in Texas.
Last week, Abbott informed President Barack Obama that his policy of resettling Syrian refugees following the Paris terrorist attacks was risky and unwise and that Texas would not be accepting Syrians for resettlement. At Abbott’s direction, Traylor last Thursday wrote 19 refugee resettlement agencies in Texas — including Catholic Charities offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston/Galveston, Corpus Christi and the Panhandle — asking that they scrap any plans to resettle Syrian refugees in Texas.
“The Health and Human Services Commission will continue to follow the directive of Gov. Abbott, which calls for the state of Texas to not participate in the resettlement of Syrian refugees,” Bryan Black, a spokesman for the health agency, said Wednesday.
The Obama administration has stuck to its plan to resettle at least 10,000 refugees from the Syrian civil war. Administration officials have stressed that prospective refugees go through extensive security checks that can take up to two years. Syrians are subject to “the most robust screening process for any category of individuals seeking admissions into the United States,” Carey said in the letter.
In their statement, the bishops said that they, “encourage all parties — including governmental leaders, political officials, and advocates — to avoid impulsive judgments in setting public policies regarding the placement of Syrian refugees. The horrors of modern terrorism are frightening, but they demand from us a strong renewal of our faith and our commitment to Christian teachings and the common good.
“We firmly believe that it is possible to maintain security at home while also welcoming refugees,” the bishops said. “The Bible abounds with calls for us to demonstrate hospitality to those in need. In Romans 12:13, we are told that Christians should ‘extend hospitality to strangers.’ Christ himself expressed praise and appreciation to those who expressed compassion, for ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’ ”
Abbott is a convert to Catholicism, his wife’s faith. He is among more than 30 governors, almost all Republican, who have said their states will not accept Syrian refugees, citing security concerns.