Friday November 20, 2015

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By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday November 20, 2015 More than 30 U.S. states refusing Syrian refugees on 'shaky legal ground' The governors of at least 31 mostly Republican states have announced they will bar Syrian asylum-seekers from attempting to start new lives in their communities. But the tough-sounding pledges Ñ coming just days after 129 people were murdered by Islamic militants in France Ñ may not have much of a legal foundation to stand on, according to Washington authorities on immigration and refugee issues. "It's very shaky legal ground," said Robert McCaw, the government affairs officer with the Council on AmericanÐIslamic Relations on Capitol Hill. "The thing is, these governors don't really have any legal means to prevent the resettlement of Syrian refugees." To date, governors of the majority of America's states Ñ including such southern bastions of conservatism as Georgia, Alabama and Florida, as well as northern states like Michigan, Illinois and Maine Ñ have pulled in the welcome mat, saying Syrian refugees pose a security risk that must be taken into account. Their tough line also mirrors that which some Republican presidential candidates are taking in the wake of the Paris attacks. But immigration isn't a state-determined issue here, it is a federal one. U.S. refugee admissions are announced by the State Department every year on Oct. 1 as part of the White House's presidential determination for allowing refugees in a given fiscal year. State governors thus do not have the authority to set limits on who or what the refugee influx should look like, said Westy Egmont, director of the Immigration Integration Lab at Boston College. "Any refugee welcome to the U.S. has legal status, and therefore the freedom of movement within all 50 states," Egmont said. "We don't have borders between New Hampshire and Vermont, or New York and Pennsylvania. People are coming and they get to choose where they choose to b

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday November 20, 2015

More than 30 U.S. states refusing Syrian refugees on ‘shaky legal ground’

The governors of at least 31 mostly Republican states have announced they will bar Syrian asylum-seekers from attempting to start new lives in their communities.

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday November 18, 2015 Paris attacks polarize Canadians on refugee resettlement plan Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend his plan to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees by January 1st. Premier Wall believes Friday's attacks in Paris are a reminder of "the death and destruction even a small number of malevolent individuals can inflict upon a peaceful country and its citizens." And he's not the only one voicing such fears. Jurisdictions across Europe and North America are rethinking their intake of Syrians amid reports that one of the Paris attackers may have been processed as a refugee from Syria. In Europe, Poland's plan to take in 4,500 refugees now appears in doubt and Germany's open-door policy is facing a fresh wave of criticism. In the United States, eight Republican governors have vowed to close their doors to Syrian refugees. But yesterday President Barack Obama stood by his plan to admit 10,000 refugees in 2016. In Canada, online petitions demanding a halt to Prime Minister Trudeau's plan are making the rounds. One such petition, in Quebec Ð a province whose cultural rifts are often compared to those in France Ð has gained nearly 59,000 signatures in a matter of days. A competing petition calling for support for the refugees quickly racked up nearly 25,000 signatures of its own. Those working behind the scenes to try to bring thousands of Syrian refugees to Canada have not been swayed by the attacks in Paris. Immigration Minister John McCallum issued a statement yesterday reiterating the government's commitment to immediately resettle 25,000 refugees and that it will not compromise Canada's security in order to do so. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-november-17-2015-1.3322358/paris-attacks-polarize-canadians-on-refugee-resettlement-plan-1.3322384 Canada, North America, racism, bigotry, islamophobia, Sy

But the tough-sounding pledges — coming just days after 129 people were murdered by Islamic militants in France — may not have much of a legal foundation to stand on, according to Washington authorities on immigration and refugee issues.

“It’s very shaky legal ground,” said Robert McCaw, the government affairs officer with the Council on American–Islamic Relations on Capitol Hill. “The thing is, these governors don’t really have any legal means to prevent the resettlement of Syrian refugees.”

Thursday, October 3, 2013To date, governors of the majority of America’s states — including such southern bastions of conservatism as Georgia, Alabama and Florida, as well as northern states like Michigan, Illinois and Maine — have pulled in the welcome mat, saying Syrian refugees pose a security risk that must be taken into account.

Their t
ough line also mirrors that which some Republican presidential candidates are taking in the wake of the Paris attacks. But immigration isn’t a state-determined issue here, it is a federal one.

Wednesday April 22, 2015U.S. refugee admissions are announced by the State Department every year on Oct. 1 as part of the White House’s presidential determination for allowing refugees in a given fiscal year.

State governors thus do not have the authority to set limits on who or what the refugee influx should look like, said Westy Egmont, director of the Immigration Integration Lab at Boston College.

“Any refugee welcome to the U.S. has legal status, and therefore the freedom of movement within all 50 states,” Egmont said. “We don’t have borders between New Hampshire and Vermont, or New York and Pennsylvania. People are coming and they get to choose where they choose to be.” (Source: CBC News)