Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday joined a fast-growing group of American governors issuing orders to stop new Syrian refugees from entering their states.
While the governors may have sent a message of concern for the security of their respective states that some constituents may find reassuring, they have no legal authority to back their messages with action.
The law governing acceptance of refugees, the Refugee Act of 1980, puts authority for admission of refugees in the hands of the president:
If the President determines, after appropriate consultation, that (1) an unforeseen emergency refugee situation exists, (2) the admission of certain refugees in response to the emergency refugee situation is justified by grave humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest, and (3) the admission to the United States of these refugees cannot be accomplished under subsection (a), the President may fix a number of refugees to be admitted to the United States during the succeeding period (not to exceed twelve months) in response to the emergency refugee situation and such admissions shall be allocated among refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States in accordance with a determination made by the President after the appropriate consultation provided under this subsection.
Rauner was among 13 Republican governors nationwide to declare their states off limits for Syrian refugees as of Monday in the wake of Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris. Rauner issued the following statement:
Our nation and our state have a shared history of providing safe haven for those displaced by conflict, but the news surrounding the Paris terror attacks reminds us of the all-too-real security threats facing America. We must find a way to balance our tradition as a state welcoming of refugees while ensuring the safety and security of our citizens. Therefore, the state of Illinois will temporarily suspend accepting new Syrian refugees and consider all of our legal options pending a full review of our country's acceptance and security processes by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Refugee Act has no provision for states blocking relocation of refugees within their borders.
In September, President Barack Obama said the United State would accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the year to follow. At the time, the U.S. had accepted nearly 1,600 Syrians fleeing that country's civil war.
Speaking at the G-20 summit in Turkey on Monday, Obama stood by his contention that the U.S. has a humanitarian duty to accept Syrian refugees.
The full video is here.
