Local leaders in a Detroit suburb unanimously voted Monday to refuse to participate in a Syrian refugee resettlement program until the federal government institutes significant immigration policy changes.
The resolution approved by the Waterford Charter Township board referred to the congressional testimony of federal authorities that claim “that refugees from failed states such as Syria cannot be adequately vetted to ensure that they do not have terrorist ties because the necessary records do not exist” and argued that current policy significantly burdens local communities.
“The Charter Township of Waterford will not actively participate in the Refugee Resettlement Program until the program has been significantly reformed, and until it has been demonstrated that the Townships of Oakland County have the capacity to absorb refugees without diverting funds from needy residents or exposing their residents to unwarranted security risks,” reads the document.
Board members stressed they don’t view the resolution as a ban or as motivated by prejudice, reported the Detroit News.
“We talked to Homeland Security and law enforcement,” Supervisor Gary Wall said. “When law enforcement agencies say there’s a problem, there’s a red flag that goes up. The bottom line is until we’re sure of this process, we have to protect what’s ours.”
Township officials cited state records to argue Michigan has accepted more Syrian refugees than any other state, and the resolution describes Oakland County, where the township is located, as a “focus area for resettlement; and the arrival numbers are expected to surge dramatically.”
President Obama pushed to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees in the last fiscal year, and ended up taking in more than 12,500.
It is not clear whether their vote to opt out of the resettlement plan will be in vain. Michigan, just like all the other states, cannot simply deny entry to refugees because the federal government has jurisdiction over immigration. However, a bill proposed in the House would allow local communities to refuse to participate if passed.
One of the board members said even if the resolution is invalid, they still wanted to make the statement.
“This is just to notify the other elected officials that this is how we feel right now,” trustee Anthony Bartolotta told the Detroit News.
