Gov. Rauner Says Illinois Will Suspend Accepting Syrian Refugees

Illinois joins growing list of states that are halting acceptance of Syrian refugees

Illinois no longer will accept Syrian refugees due to heightened security concerns in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Monday.

Since 2011, Illinois has accepted the fourth highest number of Syrian refugees among all states. In a statement, Rauner said future state policy on accepting Syrians displaced by that country’s civil war will be guided by a review from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:

“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. 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.”

Rauner was among eight governors Monday who moved to halt acceptance of Syrian refugees. As the Washington Post reported:

Governors across the country are scrambling to close off their states to resettled Syrian refugees in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris that are linked to Islamic State extremists.

The list of states climbed quickly to eight by midday Monday, even as President Obama denounced efforts to block refugees from coming to the United States as “shameful.”

Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Michigan, Alabama, Texas and Arkansas — all of them Republicans — have said that they would not admit new Syrian refugees for fear that violent extremists posing as refugees might gain entry to the country.

In Michigan, a state with a large population of Muslims, Gov. Rick Snyder noted that the state has a “rich history of immigration” and that extremists “do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world,”

To see a map of which states have accepted the most Syrian refugees since 2011, click here.

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