Michigan Governor Pauses Syrian Refugee Plan

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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said this weekend the state will pause already divisive efforts to bring Syrian refugees to Michigan after Friday’s deadly terror attacks in Paris.

The Republican governor’s policy is at odds with the position outlined Monday by President Obama, who said the United States can and should provide a safe haven for some of the millions of refugees seeking asylum from terror, while at the same time taking a hard line against the Islamic State and ensuring the security and safety of the American people.

Not accepting refugees is a “betrayal of U.S. values,” the president said.

In a statement Sunday, Snyder’s office said Michigan won’t accept any Syrian refugees, pending further review by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on vetting procedures. The Islamic State, which took responsibility for bombings Friday in Paris and Thursday in Beirut, has strongholds in Syria.

“Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration. But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents,” Snyder said in a statement. “Given the terrible situation in Paris, I’ve directed that we put on hold our efforts to accept new refugees until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security completes a full review of security clearances and procedures.

“There will be difficult days ahead for the people of France and they remain in our thoughts and prayers. It’s also important to remember that these attacks are the efforts of extremists and do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world.”

Snyder’s announcement came after officials said an emergency Syrian passport found at the scene of one of the attacks in Paris matched one used by a refugee who traveled through Greece. The person using the passport eventually entered Paris, where he was one of three men who blew themselves up at the Stade de France, CNN reports.

Several other states led by Republican governors, including Illinois Indiana, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana, have told the U.S. government their states will not consider accepting any Syrian refugees.

In September, the governor said he was working with the federal government to help more refugees find homes in Michigan.

“Isn’t that part of being a good Michigander?” Snyder said at the time, emphasizing the importance to screening to rule out refugees who might pose security threats.

On Saturday, state Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland, issued a statement calling on Snyder to reverse course.

“We should not rush to offer an open door to the high-risk importation of individuals from a known hotbed of Islamic extremism who security officials say cannot be safely screened to identify and block jihadists masked as ‘refugees’ who’d love to bring suicide vests and grenades to Ford Field or Fisher Theatre or Great Lakes Crossing,” Glenn said.

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• 3 Dearborn Residents Killed in Beirut Blasts

The governor’s decision Sunday to put the process on hold was met with both approval and disappointment.

“Good decision,” state Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, posted on his Facebook page.

Dr. Yahya Basha, a Syrian-American advocate from West Bloomfield who has family members who are refugees and was at the White House recently to discuss the refugee crisis, told the Detroit Free Press that while he supports more scrutiny of refugees, they shouldn’t automatically be blocked from coming to the United States.

“The United States should be a safe haven,” he said. “We should welcome them.”

Maged Moughni, a Dearborn attorney and Arab-American advocate, said the governor’s reversal is “uncalled for” and “unfair.”

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“He’s just basically buying into what ISIS wants: Muslims against the West ... Gov. Snyder is buying into the rhetoric,” Moughni told the Free Press. “I can understand being cautious, but to suspend it is wrong.”

Another resident of Dearborn, where about 40 percent of residents are Arab-American, told The Detroit News it’s unfair to punish all Syrians because of one terrorist who may have slipped into Paris as a refugee.

“They just want a better life,” said Leith Fadel, 26, who said most of his relatives remain in Syria. “They haven’t done anything to warrant this.”

Requests for comment from members of Michigan’s congressional delegation on Syrian refugees were not immediately returned.