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Feds Work To Quell States' Refugee Security Fears

AP
Two people stand on a terrace in the town hall behind a French flag at half mast in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015.

Despite a legal consensus that places authority for refugee placement with the federal government, more than half of the nation’s governors – including Kentucky's soon-to-be chief executive Matt Bevin – have signaled opposition to allowing Syrian refugees into their states. But federal officials are working to convince states to put out the welcome mat.

The question has split the commonwealth’s current and future governors, but outgoing Gov. Steve Beshear says efforts are underway to reassure those with security concerns.

"All of the governors yesterday were invited and most of us participated on a call with the White House, the State Department, Homeland Security, and a lot of other folks to really know what the program is all about," Beshear tells WUKY. "And it's amazing when you get the facts things kind of calm down."

Beshear has said Kentucky should welcome those fleeing war-torn Syria, adding it’s the “Christian thing to do.” As for the vetting process, the governor stressed the intense scrutiny refugees face under the U.S. program, which can take up to two years to approve incoming immigrants, and pointed critics to relatively recent precedents.

"We had this program all the way through the 9/11 crisis and after 9/11 this is where the Iraqis and the Afghans who wanted to get out of there and were refugees... they went through this program too," the governor notes.

Bevin sees reason for caution, however.

Reflecting on the attacks in Paris, the newly-elected Republican said the incident should serve as a warning for the entire civilized world to remain vigilant. Bevin’s comments echo those made by congressional Republicans, who are considering legislation to block the asylum seekers from entering the country. 

Left to the states, protests from governors could boil down to political statements with little practical effect. Becky Jordan, director of the Kentucky Office of Refugees, tells media outlets the commonwealth privatized its refugee program decades ago and it would not come under the jurisdiction of the top executive.

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.