An aid group attempting to resettle residents of war-torn Syria is being threatened by officials in Texas who warn that relocating refugees there would give way to a federal lawsuit.
Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Chris Traylor wrote the International Rescue Committee (IRC) last week to inform the New York-based nonprofit about the possible repercussions of resettling any more Syrians within the Lone Star State.
The IRC is among the aid groups leading efforts to bring Syrians into the U.S. in the midst of an humanitarian crisis that has already caused millions to flee their homes. The administration of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said Texas must stop taking in Syrians, however, the White House said last week that state officials lack any legal authority to reject refugees.
In a letter to the group’s Dallas chapter, Mr. Traylor warned the IRC that he’s ready to take legal action if the group continues to act against the wishes of the state.
“Many of your fellow organizations expressed a willingness to work with the state to identify alternative outcomes for refugees from Syria who might otherwise relocate to Texas. However, we have been unable to achieve cooperation with your agency,” Mr. Traylor wrote in a letter published by the Houston Chronicle on Sunday.
“Specifically, your agency insists on resettling certain refugees from Syria in the near future. I must ask that you fulfill your statutory duty to conduct your activities ’in close cooperation and advance consultation’ with the State of Texas pursuant to section 1522 of Title 8 of the United States Code.”
“If you remain unwilling to cooperate with the state on this matter, we strongly believe that a failure to cooperate with the State on this matter violates federal law and your contract with the state,” the letter concluded.
Similar letters will likely be sent to others attempting to defy Mr. Abbott, the Chronicle reported, who is among a group of more than 30 governors who have taken aim with the Obama administration’s effort to resettle Syrian refugees within the U.S.
The White House plans to accept upwards of 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next fiscal year. Mr. Traylor claimed in his letter that Texas is already responsible for resettling around 10 percent of all persons who resettle within the U.S., and as asked the IRC to explain to him by Monday how the organization plans on handling the influx.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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