Local lawmakers join effort to slow immigration

Three local Republicans are among 55 state legislators calling on Gov. Steve Bullock to refuse to allow the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state until the federal government bolsters its refugee screening process.

State Sen. Kris Hansen of Havre and Reps. Mike Lang of Malta and Bruce Meyers of Box Elder signed a letter to Bullock, urging him to use “all legal means to prevent the settlement of any Syrian refugees in Montana.”

All those who signed the letter, authored by Sen. Fred Thomas, R-Stephensville, were Republicans.

Neither Rep. Stephanie Hess, R-Havre, nor Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, lent their name to the letter.

In the letter dated Nov. 16, Thomas suggests Bullock, a Democrat, instruct state agencies to “resist efforts to place Syrian refugees in Montana until our concerns are addressed.”

There have been no Syrian refugees settled in Montana, or any requests by the federal government to do so, according to Bullock’s office.

Calls to suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the U.S have grown in the past weeks after coordinated attacks in Paris left 130 people dead and hundreds injured.

Some initial reports suggested one of the terrorists killed in the attacks had a Syrian passport on him, leading some to believe the perpetrator was a Syrian refugee.

Subsequent reports have called that claim into question, saying those documents were forgeries, and all those who have been identified as attackers, so far, are citizens of Europe, not Syrian refugees.

Since the attacks, governors in 31 states have said they do not want Syrian refugees resettled in their states. Those governors say terrorists could infiltrate the larger refugee population, making the U.S. vulnerable to an act of terrorism.

Though the governor said last week that the state is re-examining the process by which requests for refugee placements are reviewed, denying all refugees who have been screened the ability to relocate to Montana would be to surrender to fear.

Meyers though said ISIS represents “a clear and present danger.”

“When you look at what happened in Paris, it is not an unfounded fear, but a reality,” he said.

Meyers said those he talks to in his largely rural district, that includes Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and farming communities, are frightened by the threat of terrorism.

“My body constituency, people from out on the farm, they are not big city, but they want me to call the governor and urge him to reconsider his stance,” said Meyers.

He said temporarily turning down requests for refugees from Syria, while possible gaps in the screening process are being fixed is common sense.

“To better preserve our freedoms in our own backyard, I think we need to tighten up the system,” he said.

Hansen, who was also a signatory to the letter, defended it.

“I think it was appropriate for Sen. Thomas to move cautiously and for congress to examine our admissions policies closely and carefully,” she said.

Hansen said the unease about the refugee screening process is a small component of a broader security discussion about who is allowed in this country. She said immigration and border security are the dominant issues among the Republican presidential primary voters.

“The U.S. is doing an incredibly poor job of enforcing immigration law,” she said.

Hansen said steps must be taken by those in congress to ensure those who apply for refugee status meet all the standards and are not a threat to security.

Bullock’s office had not responded by press deadline to a request from the Havre Daily news for comments on the letter.