Legislation Introduced to Give States Approval Over Refugee Resettlement



Syrian refugees on their way to EU, Serbia-Croatia borderRep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) recently introduced legislation to give state governments approval over the resettlement of refugees. H.R. 6110, the Allow State Sovereignty Upon Refugee Entry (ASSURE) Act is a response to the recently-announced plan from the Obama administration to drastically increase the number of refugees accepted by the United States to 110,000 in the upcoming fiscal year. The new target is a 29 percent increase over the 85,000 refugees accepted this fiscal year and a 57 percent hike over the 70,000 refugees allowed per year from 2013 to 2015.

The ASSURE Act requires the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to submit a detailed plan to each state where refugees are to be resettled.  This plan must list costs expected by the state for housing, education, health care, and any other subsidies. In addition, vaccination records, health records, criminal history, and possible terrorist ties of refugees must be disclosed in the report. After submittal of the plan to the state government, it must be ratified by the state legislature and signed by the governor in order for refugee resettlement to proceed.

While federal law states that the ORR Director “shall consult” with state and local governments “concerning the sponsorship process and the intended distribution of refugees among the states and localities before their placement,” the Obama administration has largely ignored the justifiable concerns of state and local leaders across the country. These leaders are told by bureaucrats in Washington to simply accept refugees regardless of the financial ramifications and without any assurance that they have been properly vetted. The ASSURE Act simply puts the power back in the hands of the states, giving them the right to approve or reject refugee resettlement.

To learn more about this important piece of legislation, take a moment and listen to FAIR’s interview with Rep. Perry:

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4 Comments

  1. avatar

    The States Always Had the Powers to Stop Radical Islam Terrorist Immigration

    Its called succeed from union…..i.e., Civil War 2017….Christians versus One World Government DEVILS. Ask Texas.

  2. avatar

    We cannot continue Obama and Hillary’s flow of these refugee’s into our Country, we do not know who they are and what they have on their minds, we can’t open our doors and forget about the safety of the American people. I don’r think either one of these people have REALLY THOUGHT THIS THROUGH or even care. Obama is a Muslim Traitor to our Country and Hillary is one also and she’s a crook. They want to destroy our Country where this kind of thinking is coming from is not something we the people can accept it is wrong. I will do whatever is in my power to help stop this very unsafe more.

  3. avatar

    I was reading a report about a club in Germany that had invited refugees to their club because other places had excluded them after complaints about sexual assaults and fights. Surprise. The club had to enforce the same policies as the others because of the same behavior by refugees. Tigers, and Muslims still living in the 15th century, do not change their stripes. But Hillary says welcome.

    On yesterday’s Meet The Press, Chuck Todd had his usual balanced panel. Republicans who hate Trump and Democrats who hate Trump. Let’s see how much media coverage there is of today’s revelation that a State Dept employee tried to work out a “quid pro quo” with the FBI if they would change the labeling of some of Hillary’s emails from classified to nonclassified after the fact. That’s tampering with evidence, even if only an attempt to do it.

    Hillary made the most radical statement ever by a presidential candidate when she called for open borders. A few days ago, Tribune Newspapers had this story, which should have been front page news but was otherwise ignored:

    “Mexican drug gang bosses furious at suspected turncoats sent commandos aided by local police to seize dozens-perhaps hundreds-of people, murder them and dispose of their bodies in a town near the Texas border, yet state and federal officials ignored the massacre for years, according to a government-backed report released Sunday.”

    Drug gangs and government working hand in hand. Hillary wants “open borders” with Mexico and Trump wants a wall. It’s up to voters do decide which will keep us safer. Seems like a no-brainer.

    • avatar

      NBC’s Andrea Mitchell was in full protect Hillary mode on Nightly News, concerning the offer of “quid pro quo” by Patrick Kennedy of the State Dept to get the FBI to change classification of Hillary emails, which would mean they could claim she did not send “classified” material. Mitchell dismissed it all by saying no quid pro quo occurred. Not the point. It was ATTEMPTED tampering. That is a felony.

      It’s sort of ironic that next month is the defamation trial against Rolling Stone for their claimed rape story at the University of Virginia, a story that was easily and quickly debunked and retracted. The magazine made virtually no effort to interview others who contradicted her story. But what was the media reaction on it’s publication? Pure blind acceptance for the first couple weeks and attacks on the fraternity and college.

      Another Wikileaks today. Hillary talking about “bombing” Iran in June 2013. Oh great. Another conflict she wants to start, with unknown consequences. And Trump’s the danger?