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DALLAS (AP) —
Days before a family of six Syrian refugees was to arrive in Texas, the furniture and supplies for their apartment were ready.
Local volunteers collected mattresses, toys and bicycles for two children. Syrians already settled here were prepared to welcome them and help them get acquainted with their new home thousands of miles from their war-torn homeland.
Even as governors in some states say Syrian refugees aren't welcome, resettlement agencies and volunteer groups with refugees continue welcoming them.
Refugees arrived this week in two cities in Texas and in Indiana, both states whose governors have said they reject Syrian refugees due to concerns they might pose a threat to public safety.
A family of six refugees was settled Monday night in Dallas, joining relatives living in the region already, and a couple and their four daughters arrived in Houston. They arrived as Texas was mounting the most aggressive campaign of any state against Syrian refugees.
And a couple and their two young children arrived in Indiana at the invitation of the Roman Catholic archdiocese in Indianapolis, which went on with plans to resettle them despite calls from Gov. Mike Pence not to do so.
The family in Dallas arrived to a furnished apartment and a stocked refrigerator, said Lucy Carrigan, spokeswoman for the International Rescue Committee. An IRC caseworker was expected to meet with them shortly after their arrival and map out their next steps, from enrolling children in school to how to use local mass transit, said Donna Duvin, executive director of the IRC's Dallas office.
Duvin said her agency's work with the Syrian family was not greatly different from how it regularly helps refugees, though heavy media attention has followed this family's arrival. The agency, she said, wanted to "as much as possible, create a sense of a normal life" for this family and all refugees.
"Families who have been separated, especially by the trauma of war, are desperate to have their families with them here so they can really feel like they can get on with their lives," Duvin said.
The Dallas area has several apartment complexes filled with new arrivals from around the world. Volunteers who regularly work with refugees say they've seen an uptick in donations and offers to help in the wake of more attention being paid to Syrian refugees.
"We've been overwhelmed with messages of support, messages to be shared with the families, and all the Syrians, and even refugees from other countries who've made their home in Dallas," said Anne Marie Weiss-Armush, president of DFW International Community Alliance, who is working with the newly arrived family.
The archdiocese in Indianapolis said the four Syrians who arrived there had fled Syria three years ago and underwent two years of security checks before being allowed to enter the U.S.
Archbishop Joseph Tobin said he considered Pence's recent request to not bring the family to Indiana until Congress had approved new legislation regarding immigrants and refugees. But he said he welcomed them anyway because helping refugees "is an essential part of our identity as Catholic Christians."
Pence and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott 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.
Pence said Tuesday that he still supports a ban on Syrian refugees, but that he won't try to deny Medicaid, food stamps or other social services to Syrians who arrive in Indiana.
Abbott was in Washington with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to support a Cruz bill that would allow governors to refuse refugees they deem to be a security threat.
"I will continue to do everything that I can to ensure that refugees from Syria who could pose a danger to the people of the state of Texas will not be allowed to relocate into the state of Texas," Abbott said.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) —
Forecasters say strong storms that could spin off tornadoes are possible this weekend in parts of the South.
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas could see severe thunderstorms on Saturday, including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Tulsa, Oklahoma. On Sunday, the threat shifts to the east, where Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama are at risk for bad weather.
Forecasters say damaging winds are the biggest risk but tornadoes can't be ruled out.
Forecasters say tornadoes do occasionally strike in December, even though spring is usually the prime time for severe weather. Last year, five people died when tornadoes struck Mississippi two days before Christmas.
WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Supreme Court appears torn over the use of race in college admissions and may not be ready to make a decision without more information.
During arguments Wednesday, several justices asked about the value of ordering more hearings in a case from Texas that was before them for the second time.
Additional evidence might determine whether the use of race is necessary to increase diversity at the University of Texas.
The justices rehashed many of the same arguments they discussed three years ago in the case of Abigail Fisher. Justice Anthony Kennedy, crucial to the outcome, said there was information that "we should know and don't know."
Fisher has been out of college since 2012, but the justices' renewed interest in her case appeared to be a sign that the court's conservative majority is poised to cut back, or even end, affirmative action in higher education.
Their skepticism about it was on display during more than 90 minutes in a packed courtroom.
"What unique perspective does a minority student bring to a physics class?" Chief Justice John Roberts asked at one point, challenging a part of Texas' argument that says their program is needed to increase diversity at the classroom level.
But it was not clear from the arguments whether Kennedy would go as far as the other conservatives appeared willing to deal a blow to race as a factor in college admissions.
Potentially complicating the outcome, Justice Elena Kagan is sitting out the case because she worked on it at an earlier stage at the Justice Department, before joining the court. Her absence creates the possibility of a 4-4 split. That would resolve the case in Texas' favor, but say nothing about the issue nationally. The other three liberal justices appeared solidly in favor of the Texas program.
The arguments focused on whether the university flagship campus in Austin has compelling reasons to consider race among other factors when it evaluates applicants for about one-quarter of its freshman class. Most students are admitted to the university through a plan that guarantees slots to Texans who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school classes.
Fisher says the "top 10" program works well to bring in Hispanic and African-American students, without considering race. Bert Rein, representing Fisher, said the university can take other steps to diversify its student body without explicit reference to race, including reducing its reliance on standardized test scores.
Texas says the "top 10" program alone is not enough and that the school needs the freedom to fill out incoming classes as it sees fit. Gregory Garre said on behalf of the university that minority enrollment plummeted at top public universities in California and Michigan after they ended the consideration of race.
"Now is not the time and this is not the case to roll back student-body diversity in America," Garre said.
Twelve years ago, the justices reaffirmed the consideration of race in the quest for diversity on campus. A more conservative court first heard Fisher's case in 2012; the case ended inconclusively with a tepid decision that ordered a lower court review.
The federal appeals court in New Orleans has twice upheld the Texas admissions program and rejected Fisher's appeal.
Fisher's case was conceived by Edward Blum, an opponent of racial preferences. Blum also is behind lawsuits against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina that aim to eliminate any consideration of race in college admissions.
Texas is unique in marrying the top 10 plan to a separate admissions review in which race is one of many factors considered. The university's current freshman class is 22 percent Hispanic and 4.5 percent African-American. White students make up less than one-half the school's freshmen.
Eight states prohibit the use of race in public college admissions: Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington.
The Obama administration, dozens of colleges and many of the nation's largest businesses are supporting Texas in defending its program.
There also are competing arguments over whether racial preference programs actually limit the number of students from Asian backgrounds, who are disproportionately represented in student bodies relative to their share of the population.
The case is Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, 14-981.
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.
ORLA, Texas (AP) —
A fire that burned for days at a West Texas natural gas processing plant is out as investigators try to determine what sparked the blaze.
An Anadarko (an-uh-DAR'-koh) Petroleum Corporation official had no timeline Tuesday on when the Ramsey unit near Orla will reopen.
Two people were slightly hurt when fire broke out last Thursday at the plant a few miles south of the Texas-New Mexico line.
Anadarko spokesman John Christiansen says the fire was extinguished Monday. He says the next step is to work with regulators to determine the cause and assess damage.
Christiansen says the priority will be to safely repair the plant, to resume service to customers, and to complete previously planned expansion projects.
The plant is owned by Western Gas Partners and operated by The Woodlands-based Anadarko.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) —
The state attorney general says Texas' often-controversial Board of Education can't tell local school districts what textbooks to adopt for their classrooms.
Republican Ken Paxton stated in an opinion Friday that the Legislature hasn't delegated such authority and "a rule doing so would likely exceed" the board's power.
Its 15 members sanction textbooks for use statewide in a process that's often marred by ideological fights over evolution and climate change. Texas has 5.2 million public school students, a textbook market so large that it can affect classroom materials published for other states.
But in 2011, the Legislature approved a law allowing school districts to adopt classroom materials that haven't won board approval.
Relatively few have taken advantage. Still, Republican board member Barbara Cargill asked Paxton for clarification— prompting the opinion.
HOUSTON (AP) —
A Houston man must serve 30 years in federal prison for running a prostitution ring involving underage girls wanting to be models.
Emanuel Dandre Wade was sentenced Friday in Houston. The 26-year-old Wade in March pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of minors.
Prosecutors say Wade forced girls into prostitution or coerced them into engaging in commercial sex acts.
Investigators say Wade co-owned a modeling agency that was a front for prostitution, he took pictures of the girls and advertised online for sex services.
Another man, 26-year-old Denzell Parrish of Houston, earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and was sentenced Friday to six years.
Prosecutors say three other people pleaded guilty earlier and were also sentenced to prison or home confinement.
DALLAS (AP) —
Texas backed down Friday from efforts to block six Syrian refugees from resettling in Dallas after the Obama administration reiterated in federal court that the state had no authority to do so.
The swift reversal diffused a standoff Texas started after becoming the first state to sue the U.S. government in efforts to turn away Syrians following the terrorist attacks in Paris. The path is now cleared for the Syrian family, which includes two young children and their grandparents, to arrive as planned Monday without interference from state Republican leaders, who questioned whether the refugees posed a threat to public safety.
Another Syrian family of six, four of whom are 13 years old or younger, is also scheduled to resettle in Houston on Monday.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this week sued the U.S. government and the nonprofit International Rescue Committee in a last-ditch attempt to stop new Syrian refugees from being resettled. More than two dozen states have vowed to block Syrian refugees following the November terrorist attacks in Paris, but Texas was the first to take the federal government to court.
"I think that it's the first sign that Texas is beginning to see the light," said Cecillia Wang of the ACLU, which is defending the resettlement group in the lawsuit that was filed in Dallas federal court.
Paxton, however, said he is not entirely dropping the lawsuit. He still wants a hearing next week that would give Texas assurances that the Obama administration will work with the state on refugee resettlement.
"Our state will continue legal proceedings to ensure we get the information necessary to adequately protect the safety of Texas residents," Paxton said.
Court documents show that, in all, 21 Syrian refugees are scheduled to be resettled in Dallas and Houston by Thursday. They include a single woman hoping to reunite with her mother, who is already in Texas. A dozen of the refugees bound for Texas arrived in New York on Thursday and Friday, according to court records.
Federal officials called Texas' fears over security unfounded and argued that its stance would harm national interests that are determined by President Barack Obama.
Texas "has made no showing that these refugees pose any threat, much less an imminent one, to the safety or security of Texas residents or any other Americans," the Obama administration told the court. The federal government insists refugee vetting is thorough and can take up to two years.
The Texas lawsuit came two weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered resettlement organizations in Texas to stop accepting Syrian refugees due to security concerns.
The White House has said states do not have the legal authority to block refugee placement. The federal government argued in court paper that Texas was seeking "an unwarranted veto power over individual federal refugee resettlement decisions. And it would do so in order to prevent refugee families with small children from entering the state."
The refugees coming to Dallas include two children ages 3 and 6; their parents and grandparents. A second family scheduled to arrive in Houston, also on Monday, include four children aged 2 to 13 and their parents, according to court filings.
On Dec. 10, a Syrian family of eight, including six children, is scheduled to be resettled in Houston, in addition to a 26-year-old woman whose mother already resides in the area.
The International Rescue Committee is not supervising all the refugee placements, but it was not immediately clear what other aid groups were involved.
