Update: State Sen. Murphy Joins Congressman Against Taking in Syrian Refugees in NY

This story was updated at 7:03 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, to include a statement from state Sen. Terrence Murphy (R-40th), who represents parts of northern Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties.

New York Congressman Chris Collins is calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo not to accept any Syrian refugees in light of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris.

Collins, a Republican who represents the 27th District in Erie County, issued the statement Monday. He stressed that he wants to see a screening process in place that can assure New Yorkers that such refugees do not pose a threat before they are allowed into the state.

“Ensuring the safety and security of our country and Western New Yorkers is my central focus,” said Collins in a statement on his website. “At this point, we cannot guarantee with 100 percent certainty that the refugees we are accepting from Syria don’t pose a threat to our community. Until we have a process in place that achieves that goal, I am calling on Governor Cuomo to stop plans to accept Syrian refugees.”

French authorities believe at least one of the terrorists responsible for the Nov. 13 attacks entered France posing as a refugee. The news has prompted the governors of more than two dozen states to say that they do not want to accept Syrian refugees, reports The Washington Post.

The Obama Administration has stated it hopes to accept 10,000 refugees, a number far less than many countries in Europe, but even that relatively small number has many United States citizens anxious at the prospect.

While Gov. Cuomo has not responded directly to Collins’ statement, nor has he issued a formal statement about the Syrian refugess, he did address the issue Tuesday at an event with students at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, according to his spokespeople.

Cuomo stressed that New York, and the other states that make up the Union, do not have a choice - constitutionally - and will have to accept refugees if the federal government places them in their state. However he understands the concerns over safety and security:

I think it’s a balance. I think many forces are now trying to politicize this. This is an election season, so the silly season has started and the Governors can say “I will refuse to let the refugees in.” How? How? Where does it say in the state constitution “you can refuse a person placed by the federal government?” What are you going to have your militia fight the federal government at the borders of your state? It’s a pure political statement. It’s up to the federal government. If the federal government lets refugees in and places them in your state, the Governor has no authority to turn them down. Having said that, the question is a bona fide question. We have to protect Americans and not lose our soul as America in the process. Right? The day America says, “Close the gates, build the wall,” then I say take down the Statue of Liberty because you’ve gone to a different place and read Emma Lazarus and the poem on the statue of liberty “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” Once you say we’re out of business, that’s no longer true. So, I won’t let them win by conceding defeat of the American Dream. At the same time, this federal government needs to make sure it’s doing the screening and the people that are coming in are safe and the federal government has to say “we are capable of doing that.” And if the federal government is not capable of doing that, David, then they should say that too. If you really can’t screen, then the answer is “We can’t screen” but their position is “We can screen. We can screen effectively” and if that’s the case, do the screening, make sure it’s right, do it exhaustively, but don’t give up your soul as America.

Republican State Sen. Terrence Murphy issued a statement Tuesday evening largely agreed with Collins, but called on the federal government to suspend taking in Syrian refugees. Murphy’s district, the 40th, has parts of northern Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties:

“As a father of three kids, I worry everyday that we will experience another terrorist attack similar to 9/11. New Yorkers, especially those in the Hudson Valley, have mourned the loss of life due to radical Islamic terrorism and can relate better than most to the horrific attacks in Paris.

“While we grieve for those lost on Friday evening, we must begin a thorough process of reevaluating our own security measures here at home. We face a major national security issue stemming from illegal immigration. Four of the 9/11 hijackers were illegal immigrants on visa overstays.

“I agree with former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly that we need to do more to secure our borders, empower our law enforcement agencies to properly protect all of our residents and look to enhance our use of new technologies to interrupt the communication of terrorists both domestically and abroad.

“It is my hope that my colleagues in both houses, and on both sides of the aisle, can have the needed dialogue to address the security issues facing our state, which is consistently a target of terror. It has become abundantly clear that the federal government has proven itself unable to guarantee the refugees coming into our country and state are not involved with ISIS. The acceptance of any Syrian refugees should be suspended until there is a clear process in place to fully vet their background and ensure they pose no threat to New York State residents.”

The governors of New York’s two neighboring states offer differing opinions on the issue.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican Presidential candidate, Tuesday said his state will not accept any more Syrian refugees for security reasons, though he is willing to discuss other ways the U.S. can help them. About 75 refugees have resettled in the state since January.

In Connecticut, Gov. Dan Malloy has said that the state will continue to accept 1,600 Syrian refugees, and that he believes the screening process is adequate.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, Nov. 17, 2015. Photo credit: governorandrewcuomo on Flickr