The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

McCrory requests end to Syrian relocation

More than a dozen governors announced they would not allow Syrian refugees to settle in their states following the attacks in Paris, which might have been committed by individuals admitted to France as refugees.

“My primary duty as governor is to protect the citizens of North Carolina, which is why I am taking the steps I have outlined today,” McCrory said in a news conference.

The decision to block refugees has provoked controversy nationwide, with presidential hopefuls and advocacy groups releasing statements throughout the day.

Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, who did not appear on the main stage during the most recent Republican debate due to low polling numbers, released a statement calling for U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to stop the entrance of Syrian refugees or resign. Other candidates also called for various levels of caution against Syrian refugees.

But Cecillia Wang, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, released a statement accusing politicians of fabricating a link between the Paris attacks and Syrian refugees.

“It is factually wrong for blaming refugees for the very terror they are fleeing, and it is legally wrong because it violates our laws and the values on which our country was founded,” she said in the statement.

While the legality concerning governors’ abilities to impede refugee resettlement remains in question, local North Carolina groups and leaders have called for McCrory to reconsider.

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, who joined with 17 other mayors last month to call on the president to increase the number of refugees to be brought in the country, said he was disappointed with the governor’s decision.

"(Blocking Syrian refugees) is not endorsing ignorance but credits it and the fear of terrorism,” he said.

Kleinschmidt said refugees have to go through a vetting process like no other immigrant group, which includes the FBI and State Department.

Savannah Wooten, a junior at UNC and student leader in the Student Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities, said while it is understandable for politicians to want to respond to crises in strong ways, to block out all Syrian refugees for one terrorist attack is extremely near-sighted.

“Something important to understand is that these refugees are fleeing the same terror right now,” she said.

The UNC Coalition for Human Rights also released a statement expressing its disappointment with the governor’s decision while praising North Carolina’s history of support for international refugees.

“The conflict in Syria has killed upwards of 240,000 individuals since 2011. To deny these individuals refuge in our communities further contributes to their suffering and stains North Carolina’s reputation,” the UNC CHR wrote in the statement.

Kleinschmidt said it’s sad to see our elected officials react with fear to terrorist attacks.

“The terrorists are trying to instill fear, and this is the governor turning to them and saying, ‘You win.’”

state@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition