Carolina governors request blockage of Syrian refugees
Charlotte, NC - North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory is requesting the federal government stops sending Syrian refugees to North Carolina until they answer further security questions. He is requesting additional background checks and criminal records for anyone being settled in the state.
"My primary duty as governor is to keep the citizens of North Carolina safe," McCrory said.
Gov. McCrory made the announcement Monday in Charlotte.
In September the White House announced plans to accept an additional 10,000 refugees from Syria, with no congressional approval needed. By Monday afternoon, more than half a dozen governors announced they would no longer be accepting refugees.
Republican lawmakers may try to use must-pass government spending legislation to block President Barack Obama's plans to increase the number of Syrian refugees entering the U.S. Pressure to do so follows Friday's deadly attacks in Paris.
Congress is facing a Dec. 11 deadline to approve a spending bill to keep the government running. Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama released a letter on Monday saying the legislation should require congressional approval for the president's refugee resettlement plans and the money needed to carry them out.
New House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin tells conservative talk host Bill Bennett on Monday that he's looking at all options.
In the aftermath of Friday's attacks in Paris, several U.S. governors are threatening to block efforts to allow Syrian refugees into their states.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley made the following statement in a press release Monday afternoon, "Until she can be assured that all potential refugees from Syria have no ties to terrorist organizations, I am requesting that the State Department not resettle any Syrian refugees in South Carolina," Haley said.
The governors are responding to heightened concerns that terrorists might use the refugees as cover to sneak across borders.
The Associated Press contributed to this report