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It started with a single fingerprint in Paris, and now governors from more than half the of the United States of America -- including North Carolina -- are saying they will not accept asylum seekers from Syria, which is arguably the most war-ravaged nation on the planet.

The number of governors calling for a close of their state borders to Syrian refugees comprises one Democrat and 26 Republicans, including North Carolina’s Pat McCrory.

While numerous European nations have agreed to accept tens, and even hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, the United States -- with its population of 350 million -- has taken in just 1,500 since 2011.

And only 59 of them have made it to North Carolina, less than can be found on a street in an average urban neighborhood.

But even that figure of fewer than five dozen people has attracted McCrory’s attention in light of the multi-pronged terrorist attack carried out in Paris last Friday. According to reports, a fingerprint from one of the terrorists matches that of a man who entered Greece through a refugee program in that nation and eventually immigrated to France.

Besides, as Mooresville state Rep. John Fraley noted in a conversation with the R&L, it doesn’t take a great number of people to pull off a major terrorist attack.

“Look at 9/11,” he said referring to the 2001 series of attacks. “That didn’t involve many people.”
Still Fraley said he had only returned Monday night from a vacation out of the country and that he was not well enough versed on the specific aspects of McCrory’s plan to say he backed it or was opposed to it.

“I think it would be best for everyone coming here to have thorough background checks,” Fraley said. “But I just don’t know how practical that would be. I mean I just don’t know what all that involves and whether or not it can be done in any reasonable way.”

Fraley said the matter is slated to be taken up by the North Carolina House of Representatives Government Oversight Committee as early as today and that any action needed beyond that would be called for.

“I don’t know what exactly will be discussed, but I would imagine it would be along the lines of what can legally be done and what cannot,” Fraley said of the committee meetings.

According to experts on the issue of refuge-seekers, individual states have very little say as the Refugee Act of 1980 gives the federal government jurisdiction on the matter.

And law aside, some say blocking refuge to those displaced by war is not only un-American, but also immoral.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is one of the largest refugee resettlement organizations in the country. On Tuesday, the organization released a statement regarding the pushback against Syrian refugees by governors and others.

In a statement issued by Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, who chairs the group’s Committee on Migration, said that while he condemned the acts in Paris and is in support of “all who are working to ensure such attacks do not occur again,” he views responses like the one taken by McCrory troubling.

“These refugees are fleeing terror themselves — violence like we have witnessed in Paris. They are extremely vulnerable families, women, and children who are fleeing for their lives,” Elizondo said. “We cannot and should not blame them for the actions of a terrorist organization.”

Elizondo said the vetting process of refugees is already one with few loopholes that can take as long as two years.

“We can look at strengthening the already stringent screening program,” he said, “but we should continue to welcome those in desperate need.”

And while many have referred to the moves made by McCrory and other governors as a knee-jerk reaction, all 10 North Carolina Republicans in the U.S. House of Representative stand in support of it.

A letter signed by the GOP contingent -- which includes both Iredell County members, Virginia Foxx and Robert Pittenger -- cites the Paris attacks and calls on President Obama to stop sending Syrian immigrants here.

“As a delegation, we join with Governor McCrory in calling for the Obama Administration to immediately cease sending Syrian refugees to our state,” the letter reads in part. “We believe this is a common sense step and applaud Governor McCrory for his leadership on the issue."

http://www.statesville.com/news/iredell-representatives-show-support-for-mccrory-on-refugees/article_f7ffd7be-8e01-11e5-9392-97fbb67bb3f8.html