From the Houston Chronicle: City of Refugees: How Houston became a resettlement magnet

Another indicator that there may be conflict between the city of Houston and the state of Texas regarding refugee settlement.

- Click here for the story.

According to U.N. data, between 2010 and 2014, the U.S. alone resettled 71 percent of all refugees.

Out of every 1,000 resettled U.N. refugees, more than 700 come to America. Though all 50 states accept some refugees, 75 of those 700 find their way to Texas, according to U.S. State Department numbers. And more of those will come to the Houston area than to anywhere else in Texas: The state health services department reports that nearly 40 30 percent of Texas' refugees land in Harris County.

This means that Harris County alone welcomes about 30 of every 1,000 refugees that the U.N. resettles anywhere in the world — more than any other American city, and more than most other nations. If Houston were a country, it would rank fourth in the world for refugee resettlement.

A trend stands out in Harris County refugee data. The vast majority of Houston's refugees came from warm climates: Cuba, Iraq, Congo and Somalia. But the resettlement agencies don't place people based on a preference for a hot, steamy climate.

. . . Houston has been a major resettlement area for Vietnamese refugees and immigrants since the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. But since then, the city's heavy in-flow of refugees has been defined by the absence of a predominant nationality.

"Oh, Houston is diverse," Al Sudani said, ticking off major refugee communities: "Bosnians, Russian Jews, Afghanis, Iraqis, Congolese, Rwandese, Somalis, Iranian minorities, Burmese, Bhutanese." Harris County welcomed refugees from 40 different countries in fiscal year 2014, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

For more:

- Immigrants from around the world are transforming Houston.

Easy to see this one coming

We discussed this possibility in class. While governors are resistant to refugees coming to their states, many mayors are not. This creates an opportunity for conflict since there's little doubt that governors will try to limit the ability of mayors in their state to do so. And they may have the tools and authority to do so.

Here two stories on the subject:

- From CityLab: Governors Don't Want Syrian Refugees. Mayors Are Asking for Even More.
- From CNN: Mayors strike back against governors in refugee fight.

Democratic mayors across the country are clashing with mostly Republican governors who say their states shouldn't accept Syrian refugees.

More than half -- 31 -- of the nation's governors, most of the Republicans, say they oppose letting Syrian refugees into their states. The final say on allowing refugees into the country falls with the federal government, though governors can slow down the process and make placing and aiding refugees more difficult.

"It sends a horrible message to the world. It means we're turning our backs on the people who are the victims of terrorism," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday. "We're not going to turn our backs on children and families. It's not the American way. It's certainly not the New York City way."

While New York has said it would accept refugees, nearby New Jersey -- under the leadership of 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie -- has said it won't.

"I cannot allow New Jersey to participate in any program that will result in Syrian refugees -- any one of whom could be connected to terrorism -- being placed in our State," Christie wrote in a letter to Obama.

Christie on refugees: Not even 5-year-old orphans

And similar conflicts are rippling across the country.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott said Florida is not willing to accept Syrian refugees, but Andrew Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee, Florida's capital, told CNN Wednesday his city will continue to be a safe place for refugees.

"I believe strongly that we cannot turn our backs on the refugee community in their time of greatest need," he said. "The U.S. vetting process for refugees is extremely rigorous, extensive, and comprehensive, and allows us to aid those that pose no threat to our country. Gov. Scott's stance is driven by divisive politics."

From Vox: Governors can’t keep out refugees. But they can make their lives miserable.

A bit more on the dividing line between the national and states governments regarding refugee policy.

- Click here for the article.

The 27 states that have declared they won't admit Syrian refugees in the wake of the Paris terror attacks can't actually prevent refugees from entering their territory. But they can make it much harder for them to learn English or get jobs.

From the CRS: Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy

This seem to be as good as any place to find an outline of US refugee policy.

- Click here for the analysis.

Here's the summary:

A refugee is a person fleeing his or her country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Typically, the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region are set by the President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year. For FY2015, the worldwide refugee ceiling is 70,000, with 68,000 admissions numbers allocated among the regions of the world and 2,000 numbers comprising an unallocated reserve. An unallocated reserve is to be used if, and where, a need develops for refugee slots in excess of the allocated numbers. The FY2015 regional allocations are, as follows: Africa (17,000), East Asia (13,000), Europe and Central Asia (1,000), Latin America/Caribbean (4,000), and Near East/South Asia (33,000). 

Overseas processing of refugees is conducted through a system of three priorities for admission. Priority 1 comprises cases involving persons facing compelling security concerns. Priority 2 comprises cases involving persons from specific groups of special humanitarian concern to the United States (e.g., Iranian religious minorities). Priority 3 comprises family reunification cases involving close relatives of persons admitted as refugees or granted asylum.

Special legislative provisions make it easier for members of certain groups to obtain refugee status. The “Lautenberg Amendment,” which was first enacted in 1989, allows certain former Soviet and Indochinese nationals to qualify for refugee status based on their membership in a protected category with a credible fear of persecution. In 2004, Congress amended the Lautenberg Amendment to add the “Specter Amendment,” which requires the designation of categories of Iranian religious minorities whose cases are to be adjudicated under the Lautenberg Amendment’s reduced evidentiary standard. Subsequent laws extended the Lautenberg Amendment, as amended by the Specter Amendment. Most recently, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235) extends the Lautenberg Amendment through September 30, 2015.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS/ORR) administers an initial transitional assistance program for temporarily dependent refugees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, and others. The FY2015 appropriation for refugee and entrant assistance in P.L. 113-235 is $1,559,884,000.

A tale of two maps: state positions on Syrian refugees and the 2012 presidential vote.

- source.

From the Texas Tribune: Abbott: Texas to Block Syrian Refugee Resettlement

The governor joins a couple dozen others - mostly Republican - around the nation opposing a national plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees. Whether they can legally prevent their resettlement remains unclear.

- Click here for the story.

Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that Texas would refuse Syrian refugees after a terrorist attack in Paris killed more than 120 people.

"Given the tragic attacks in Paris and the threats we have already seen, Texas cannot participate in any program that will result in Syrian refugees — any one of whom could be connected to terrorism — being resettled in Texas," Abbott wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama.

Cynthia Leigh, an immigration attorney in Austin, said advocates for refugees “deplore this sort of announcement.” But Leigh said Abbott’s move was likely legal because resettlement policies are at the discretion of local communities.

Asked if individual states were allowed to bar Syrian refugees from being resettled, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, "I don't have an answer for you. I think our lawyers are looking into that."

Abbott's announcement made Texas the third state to declare it would block Syrian refugees from resettling. The governors of Michigan and Alabama said Sunday that they would similarly prevent such resettlement in their states. Other states followed suit on Monday.

In his letter, Abbott said ISIS posed a “very real” risk to Texas, referencing an attack last year in Garland where a security guard was wounded after being shot outside a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack.
In a similar statement on Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick commended the governor's actions.

"We adhere to Judeo-Christian principles and stand ready to help those in need, but not at the expense of the safety and security of our own people," Patrick said.

House Speaker Joe Straus on Monday took a more nuanced position, saying he agreed with Abbott’s “concern” and that refugees needed “thorough background reviews” in order to be placed in Texas.

“I share Gov. Abbott's concern that relocating refugees to Texas without thorough background reviews compromises our security,” Straus said in an emailed statement. “Our highest priority as a state has been and should continue to be the safety of all Texans.”

For more:

- Growing number of states refuse refugees.
- More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome.
- Here's a map of every state refusing to accept Syrian refugees.
- President Obama Slams GOP Candidates Over Refusing to Accept Syrian Refugees.