Lawsuit to Ban Syrian Refugees From Tennessee About to Receive State Senate Stamp of Approval
Volunteer State gears up to join Alabama, Texas in attempting to keep out refugees fleeing ISIS, fearing they will bring ISIS with them.
Tennessee鈥檚 state Senate is poised to order the state to sue the federal government over its resettlement program for refugees from Syria, making it the third state to do so.
On Tuesday, the Senate鈥檚 Finance Committee will consider requiring the state鈥檚 attorney general to file a lawsuit for allegedly violating the Federal Refugee Act of 1980 by placing Syrian refugees in the state. It would also require the federal government to provide the states with certification that the refugees pose no security risk, as well as a complete profile, including medical history, of each refugee.
鈥淭he federal government has thus far refused to be a transparent partner in the refugee vetting process,鈥� Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, the resolution鈥檚 chief sponsor, 鈥淚f we are not able to identify potential threats, we cannot adequately protect our citizenry.鈥�
The resolution has a high likelihood of passing not only the Finance Committee 鈥� where seven of the 11 members have signed on as cosponsors 鈥� but in the larger Senate as well, where 23 of the chamber鈥檚 28 Republicans have signed on as well. The Senate鈥檚 five Democrats have so far refused to sign on to the legislation.
Stephanie Teatro, co-executive director for Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, told that the bill is counter-productive.
鈥淚t sort of betrays our American values,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an embarrassing step for states to take.鈥�
If the legislation passes the Senate, it is similarly likely to receive a warm welcome in the House, where members have already demanded such legislation. House GOP caucus chairman that the state needed to round up all refugees from Syria and expel them from Tennessee.
"We need to activate the Tennessee National Guard and stop them from coming in to the state by whatever means we can," Casad said. "I鈥檓 not worried about what a bureaucrat in D.C. or an unelected judge thinks. ... We need to gather (Syrian refugees) up and politely take them back to the ICE center and say, 'They鈥檙e not coming to Tennessee, they鈥檙e yours.' "
Paul Galloway, executive director of the pro-refugee American Center for Outreach, based in Nashville, noted that Tennessee has a long history of being 鈥渁 welcoming kind of place鈥� and that this legislation is a betrayal of that heritage.
鈥淚 think that anytime you are talking about rounding people up, you have lost your way,鈥� Galloway said.
Previously, and have filed lawsuits along similar lines, demanding that the federal government cease sending them refugees from Syria. The government has responded by insisting that the states do not possess the legal prerogative to choose which refugees they receive from international resettlement programs.
According to an article promoting the Tennessee resolution in , all of these lawsuits are being channeled through the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based聽Thomas More Law Center, a religious-right organization that has previously involved itself in attempts to , to sue the government for a Department of Homeland Security bulletin on domestic extremism, and in attempts to defend Oklahoma鈥檚 short-lived law banning Shariah law聽in the state.
Concerns about refugees from Syria reached a feverish pitch in November, after the attacks by ISIS on civilians in Paris on Nov. 13. It was initially believed that聽the attackers had entered Europe as refugees (though this ). Nearly all of the nation鈥檚 Republican governors announced that they were planning to refuse to accept any refugees from Syria, even though those persons are largely fleeing civil war and terrorism inflicted by ISIS.
Federal authorities indeed have identified gaps in the ability to complete background checks on Syrian refugees, but despite coverage from right-wing media , the reality is that these refugees will receive 鈥� the most, indeed, of any person seeking to enter the United States 鈥� before entering the U.S.聽relocation program. that while the concerns about terrorism might be legitimate, the reasons for fear聽are wildly exaggerated, and only fuel the potential for real terrorism further down the road, since refugee camps can often turn into hotbeds of extremist recruitment.
鈥淚t鈥檚 deeply ironic that they鈥檙e punishing the victims of ISIS out of their own fear of ISIS,鈥� Galloway observed, "especially when it comes from a state known for its hospitality."
