SHARE

Malloy: Connecticut Stands Ready To Welcome Syrian Refugees

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — Connecticut remains open to welcoming Syrian refugees, Gov. Dannel Malloy said Monday, even as governors across the country began saying they would seek to ban the practice.

Gov. Dannel Malloy

Gov. Dannel Malloy

Photo Credit: File

Poll
Do you support allowing Syrian refugees to relocate into Connecticut?
Final Results Voting Closed

Do you support allowing Syrian refugees to relocate into Connecticut?

  • Yes
    10%
  • No
    83%
  • Undecided
    3%
  • I need to learn more about the issue
    4%

The statements were being made in the wake of deadly attacks by the terror group ISIS in Paris.

Devon Puglia, the communications director for Malloy, issued a statement Monday on the Connecticut position.

“Obviously in light of the tragedy in Paris, we have questions about the Department of Homeland Security’s screening measures for refugees entering our country," the statement said. "We are continuing to work with and await guidance from the appropriate federal agencies on screening measures that will be taken. 

"With that said, if refugees – many who are children fleeing a horrific, war-torn country – seek and are granted asylum after a rigorous security process, we should and will welcome them in Connecticut,” said the emailed statement.

According to Mic.com, Connecticut is one of only five states that have come out to say that will allow refugees to be resettled in their borders. The other states are Delaware, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington.

The states that want to ban refugees are: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming, according to Mic.com.

Mic.com pointed out that governors cannot bar refugees from their states, according to the Refugee Act of 1980.

President Barack Obama has said he working to relocate 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States. U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have said they support those efforts and have called for even more refugees to be allowed into the U.S.

Last month, both were among 26 senators calling for emergency funding to provide humanitarian relief to Syrian refugees and to increase the capacity for refugee admissions to the United States.

“Organizations aiding Syrian refugees are working around the clock to provide food, shelter, medical care and education to refugee families, but these basic services are at dire risk unless the United States and our partners fill the funding gaps," the letter said.

"Second, we must support funding to significantly increase the number of refugees screened and admitted into the United States. We welcomed approximately 200,000 refugees during the Balkan Wars, 700,000 refugees from Cuba, and more than 700,000 refugees from Vietnam.

"Compared with these historic numbers, we can do better than 10,000 slots for Syrian families. We cannot simply sit on the sidelines as this humanitarian disaster continues to unfold,” the senators wrote.

Read the full story about the states seeking to ban refugees and see the map at Mic.com here.

to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE