By Josh Hammer
According to a letter sent today to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that was just obtained by The Daily Wire, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced Texas’s refusal to accept any additional refugees for fiscal year (FY) 2020. The letter was prompted by Executive Order 13888, on “Enhancing State and Local Involvement in Refugee Resettlement,” which was issued by President Donald Trump on September 26, 2019.
According to the text of the September executive order, “[t]he Federal Government consults with State and local governments … to be respectful of those communities that may not be able to accommodate refugee resettlement.” Furthermore, “if either a State or locality has not provided consent to receive refugees under the Program, then refugees should not be resettled within that State or locality,” and “the Secretary shall notify the President of such decision.”
Today, Greg Abbott, governor of the nation’s most iconic red state, has made clear that Texas does not consent.
“Texas is one of the most welcoming states for refugees seeking to escape dangers abroad,” Abbott begins. “Since FY 2010, more refugees have been received in Texas than in any other state. In fact, over that decade, roughly 10% of all refugees resettled in the United States have been placed in Texas. Even today, the process of resettling continues for many of these refugees.”