From Gov. Nathan Deal's Nov. 16 Executive Order: Whereas on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, a series of synchronized terrorist attacks were carried out against the people of France and those attacks appear to be directly linked to the ongoing conflict in Syria; and
Whereas, the brazen nature of these terrorist attacks creates significant concern over refugees from Syria to the United States and, specifically, the State of Georgia; now therefore, pursuant to the authority vested in me as governor of the state of Georgia, it is hereby ordered that all agencies of the State of Georgia halt any involvement in accepting refugees from Syria for resettlement in the State of Georgia until such time as the United States Department of State has re-examined the security concerns and established new processes for accepting refugees from Syria. In addition, no agency of the State of Georgia shall accept any refugees from Syria for resettlement in this State until such time as Congress has approved of the new processes for accepting refugees from Syria.
U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Roswell), Nov. 19: "ISIS has declared war on the Western world and they will stop at nothing, even using our generosity and compassion against us. Common sense tells us that states should have the right not to engage in the Refugee Resettlement program. A majority of states have already announced they will not participate. The administration is telling them that they do not have that choice. It is imperative that Congress ensure our states are able to exercise this right. President Obama is unwilling to listen to the desire of our governors and insists on going ahead with admitting 10,000 refugees, despite the FBI Director saying that we do not have the time or resources necessary to adequately screen them. That is unacceptable."
U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Albany), Nov. 18: "First and foremost, our most pressing responsibility is to protect the American people. The brutality shown by ISIS during the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut exemplifies the necessity for vigilance across the Homeland as well as the urgency to proactively counter future terrorist threats to the United States. Ensuring all refugees seeking asylum on our shores continue to be subjected to the highest level of intensive screening in order to weed out those who would do us harm from those 'tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to be free', our nation must remain a beacon of hope for those fleeing persecution, for future Americans, and for the rest of humanity."
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