Illinois Governor Closes State to Syrian Refugees

Syrian refugees will not be allowed into Illinois under an order from Gov. Bruce Rauner issued Monday following Friday night’s terrorist attacks in Paris.

The suspension of Illinois’ acceptance of refugees is temporary until the security process for reviewing the refugees is scrutinized by the Department of Homeland Security, according to the governor’s office, while the governor ponders “legal options.”

Government officials are concerned that Islamic State terrorists may be hiding among legitimate refugees in order to enter the United States undetected.

States, however, do not have the power to restrict immigration approved by the federal government. To date, fewer than 100 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Illinois, according to the U.S. State Department.

“Our nation and our state have a shared history of providing safe haven for those displaced by conflict, but the news surrounding the Paris terror attacks reminds us of the all-too-real security threats facing America,” reads Rauner’s statement explaining his order. “We must find a way to balance our tradition as a state welcoming of refugees while ensuring the safety and security of our citizens. Therefore, the state of Illinois will temporarily suspend accepting new Syrian refugees and consider all of our legal options pending a full review of our country’s acceptance and security processes by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”

As of September, about 1,500 Syrian refugees have been accepted into the United States. The federal government plans to accept about 10,000 more over the course of the next year.

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Prior to Friday’s attacks, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin suggested the United States should take in 100,000 Syrian refugees.

In September, Durbin met with several Syrian refugees who settled in Chicago with the help of Refugee One, a Chicago-based non profit.

One woman, Fatima, shared that her father and brother were killed by the Assad regime that rules Syria. She fled in 2012, lived in camps in Jordan and Lebanon, and then was accepted into the United States in 2013, according to ABC 7 Chicago.

“We find the safe here. We forget the sorrow,” she said.

Michigan’s governor has also issued a statement expressing a temporary halt to accepting refugees from Syria. Michigan is home to a large population of Syrian immigrants, and about 200 Syrian refugees have settled there in recent years, primarily in suburban Detroit.

Several states led by Republican governors, including Indiana, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana, have told the U.S. government their states will not consider accepting any Syrian refugees.