Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday voiced his opposition to harboring Syrian refugees in Arkansas, joining a throng of governors concerned that a wave of Syrian refugees could undermine national security.
Members of Congress also spoke of worry about the potential terror threat posed by refugees. Arkansas' two Republican senators called for a moratorium on resettling Syrian refugees in the U.S. until Congress can vet the security measures being taken by federal officials.
The uproar over the proposed resettling of about 10,000 Syrians in the United States comes after news that at least one of the terrorists involved in Friday's attacks in Paris arrived from Syria via Greece.
Arkansas' Republican governor initially announced via Twitter that "As Governor I will oppose Syrian refugees being relocated to Arkansas." Similar positions were announced by more than 20 other governors, some of whom have suspended ongoing relocation efforts in their states.
However, Lavinia Limon, president and CEO of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, told The Associated Press that under the Refugee Act of 1980, governors cannot legally block refugees from settling in their communities.
Millions of Syrians have fled to neighboring Middle Eastern countries and to Europe, and President Barack Obama's administration has pledged to accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next 12 months. The U.S. State Department said the refugees would be spread across the country.
On Monday, Obama said the U.S. should honor its commitment and that failing to do so would be un-American.
"Our nations can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety and ensure our own security. We can and must do both," Obama said.
On Monday morning, Hutchinson issued a more detailed public statement expressing sympathy for the refugees dislodged by the ongoing war in Syria.
"I oppose any facility or installation in Arkansas being used as a Syrian refugee center. Many of the refugees are fleeing violence in their own country but Europe, Asia or Africa are logically the best places for resettlement or for temporary asylum," Hutchinson wrote. "The hardships facing these refugees and their families are beyond most of our understanding, and my thoughts and prayers are with them, but I will not support a policy that is not the best solution and that poses risks to Arkansans."
A call to Hutchinson's spokesman, J.R. Davis, for further comment about what the governor's administration could do to prevent these refugees from reaching the state was not returned Monday.
On Monday, Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton, both Republicans from Arkansas, issued a joint statement calling on the Obama administration to hold off on taking more refugees until the president reports to Congress on how the refugees will be screened.
In an interview, Boozman said resettlement efforts should be halted until more information is known.
"The foremost thing we need to look at is the safety and security of the American public," Boozman said. "And after the attacks in Paris, this has really made it such that we need to heighten our awareness and just make sure that we're not going to be in a situation of bringing into our country people that would do us harm."
U.S. Reps. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs, French Hill of Little Rock and Steve Womack of Rogers, all Republicans, supported the governor's position.
Arkansas has been a destination for refugees in the past. During the 1970s, after the end of the Vietnam War, more than 50,000 refugees from Southeast Asia were taken to Fort Chaffee outside Fort Smith.
In May 1980, Fort Chaffee again became home to thousands of refugees, that time from Cuba. The Cubans were sent there on the orders of then-President Jimmy Carter.
Within three weeks, Fort Chaffee held as many as 19,000 Cuban refugees. Eventually, tensions at the site led to riots. The unrest at Fort Chaffee proved a political problem for then-Gov. Bill Clinton, who lost his 1980 re-election campaign to Frank White, in part over his perceived handling of the Cuban refugees.
Reactions among Arkansas lawmakers varied Monday, with some Republicans agreeing that Hutchinson's duty to protect residents outweighs the moral value of opening the state to an influx of those seeking a safer place.
Hutchinson's nephew, Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, said he was skeptical that there could be a thorough background-check process to weed out potential terrorists.
"Who do you call to find out if they're an upstanding citizen in Syria? The risk is way too great to allow it to happen," he said. "While we want to be hospitable and compassionate, we can't do that at the risk of our own citizens, and I'm not aware of any mechanism by which we can verify the safety of our citizens by opening up the state of Arkansas to these refugees."
Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Hindsville, said he has been moved by the images of Syrian refugees fleeing a war zone but that it's up to lawmakers and leaders to balance humanitarian ideals with state or national security.
"In this situation, the risk is too high. We've seen what happened in France. We've heard ISIS specifically say that they will use refugees to infiltrate other nations," he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State extremist group. "Until we can get a grasp of the situation, I don't want what happened in Paris to happen in Little Rock."
Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, said the refugee issue was a federal one and that she would defer to the Obama administration in handling refugee placement.
But she said that despite real security concerns, she was disappointed in those who would uniformly reject refugees from Syria.
"We have to be extremely careful about who we let in," Chesterfield said. "But to just summarily dismiss anyone of Syrian descent from coming into this state is premature and unworthy of our state."
Added Chesterfield: "I'll err on the side of the Good Samaritan. The Old Testament reminds us that we were once strangers in a strange land."
Information for this article was contributed by Frank E. Lockwood of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 11/17/2015