Republican Governors Ask President Obama To Suspend Syrian Refugee Resettlement Efforts

WASHINGTON, D. C. – Twenty-seven Republican governors sent a letter to President Obama today requesting that he pause his plan to resettle additional Syrian refugees into the U.S. until further improvements can be made to the vetting process for these candidates.

Governors Robert Bentley of Alabama, Doug Ducey of Arizona, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Rick Scott of Florida, Nathan Deal of Georgia, Butch Otter of Idaho, Bruce Rauner of Illinois, Mike Pence of Indiana, Terry Branstad of Iowa, Sam Brownback of Kansas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Paul LePage of Maine, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Chris Christie of New Jersey, Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Pat McCrory of North Carolina, Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota, John Kasich of Ohio, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota, Bill Haslam of Tennessee, Greg Abbott of Texas, Gary Herbert of Utah, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, and Matt Mead of Wyoming all signed on to the letter. In the letter, the governors express serious concerns about recent comments made by Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey in which he admitted that the U.S. does not have the capacity to adequately screen all Syrian refugees who attempt to enter the U.S.

A copy of the letter can be found here and is excerpted below.
 
As governors, we are charged with ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our citizens. In order to adequately fulfill this duty, we request that you immediately review the process by which you conduct background checks on all individuals applying for refugee status and address the gaps acknowledged by your director of the FBI.
 
In the wake of this recent tragedy, and until we can ensure the citizens of our states that an exhaustive review of all security measures has been completed and the necessary changes have been implemented, we respectfully request that you suspend all plans to resettle additional Syrian refugees.