Texas Governor Threatens to Withdraw From Refugee Resettlement Efforts

Texas has announced its plans to withdraw from the federal refugee resettlement program on Jan. 31, claiming the federal government's lack of "capability or the will to distinguish the dangerous from the harmless."

This announcement comes months after Texas lost a court battle in June, in which the state attempted to keep Syrian refugees out entirely.

On Sept. 21, Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement claiming that refugees “pose grave danger, like the Iraqi refugee with ties to ISIS who was arrested…after he plotted to set off bombs at two malls in Houston.”

The statement continued:

... Texas will not be an accomplice to such dereliction of duty to the American people. Therefore, Texas will withdraw from the refugee resettlement program. I strongly urge the federal government to completely overhaul a broken and flawed refugee program that increasingly risks American lives.”

In November 2015, Abbott first issued orders to refugee groups to cease resettling refugee families and was met with opposition, according to the Washington Post. The Post reports 229 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Texas since the issue first went to court.

Abbott's announcement comes after renewed calls from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for "extreme vetting" of immigrants to the United States. "Those who do not believe in our Constitution, or who support bigotry and hatred, will not be admitted for immigration into the country," Trump said in a recent speech.

While his approach may be the most extreme, Abbott isn't the only governor who opposes refugee resettlement. In fact, 31 governors have voiced opposition to accepting refugees. And while the 1980 Refugee Act gives clear authority to the federal government, state authorities can make the process difficult. 

But beyond federal regulations, Christians have a clear responsibility to welcome the stranger in our midst. Indeed, many evangelical churches are shrugging off the fear fomented by many Republican officials and are leading the charge in serving refugees. It's time our elected leaders — many of whom claim the title of "Christian" — follow suit.