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AUSTIN - Governor Greg Abbott today joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to announce the State Refugee Security Act, which gives states and governors the tools to address the challenges posed by refugee resettlement from countries inhabited by terrorist organizations.
“America is a charitable nation. But we cannot allow charity for some to compromise security for all,” said Governor Abbott. “Congress intended to give sates a substantial role in the refugee resettlement process. The federal government and resettlement agencies have sidestepped that role. My top priority as Governor is to keep Texas citizens safe and this legislation helps me do that.”
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) —
Four North Texas jailers face either dismissal or suspension over the March death of an inmate who was physically restrained.
Arlington police late Monday announced plans to fire three detention officers following the administrative investigation into the death of 42-year-old Jonathan Paul. A jail supervisor will be suspended five days. All can appeal.
Paul was arrested following a domestic disturbance call to his apartment complex. Jail surveillance video shows officers restraining Paul, who appeared agitated or in distress. He became motionless after being taken to another cell and further restrained. He later died at a hospital.
One of the suspended officers, Pedro Medina, was indicted last month on a charge of criminally negligent homicide. Another officer, Stephen Schmidt, retired before being indicted on the same charge.
DALLAS (AP) —
A Syrian family has been settled in Texas and another in Indiana, the groups helping them said Tuesday, defying efforts by the governors of the conservative states to stop their arrival.
A family of six went to live Monday near relatives who were already living in the Dallas area, said Lucy Carrigan, a spokeswoman for the International Rescue Committee. And a Syrian couple and their two small children arrived safely in Indiana Monday night, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis said in a statement.
Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Mike Pence of Indiana were among more than two dozen Republican governors who said they would refuse any new Syrian refugees following the deadly Nov. 13 Paris attacks, which have been linked to the Islamic State group operating in Syria.
Federal officials and refugee agencies have continued resettlement, however, saying states are denying a safe haven to families displaced by war and that a state's role in resettlement does not include the authority to block them.
In Dallas, the family of six settled into an apartment with basic furniture and a stocked refrigerator, Carrigan said.
"They seem very happy," Carrigan said. "And it was almost like breathing a sigh of relief that they have arrived. This has been a long journey for them, and it's been a long journey for a lot of Syrian refugees."
Texas has taken in more refugees than any other state in the last five years, including about 250 Syrian refugees. But it also fought harder than any other state to stop the inflow of Syrian refugees after the attacks.
Texas' health commissioner sent letters to refugee resettlement agencies threatening them with the loss of state cooperation if they continued to bring in Syrians. They then filed a lawsuit against the IRC and the federal government.
The state has since backed down from an immediate demand to halt the arrival of Syrian refugees. A hearing is expected in the lawsuit next week.
According to court filings made by federal officials, 15 additional Syrians are expected to arrive in Houston this week.
Carrigan declined to make family members available for an interview, but she said they were not fazed by the state's fight or concerns that they might not be welcome in Texas.
"They would just say that they were very happy to be coming here," Carrigan said.
The family that arrived in Indiana fled Syria three years ago and underwent two years of security checks before being allowed to enter the United States, Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin said in a statement.
Tobin met last week with Pence to discuss the governor's order blocking state agencies from assisting Syrian refugees following the deadly Paris attacks last month. Pence said afterward that he asked Tobin to not resettle the family in the state.
Tobin said he explained to the governor the plight of the Syrian couple and their two small children, who already have some relatives in Indianapolis.
"I listened to the governor's concerns regarding security and prayerfully considered his request that we defer from welcoming them until Congress had approved new legislation regarding immigrants and refugees," Tobin said.