Texas Gov. Greg Abbott received praise Wednesday for following through on his promise to sue the federal government if Syrian refugees are resettled in the Lone Star State.
“One of the major provocations of the Revolutionary War was King George forcing people to house soldiers they did not volunteer to house,” Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, told the Washington Examiner. “This President seems to feel the federal government has arrived at the level of royalty that is privileged to force peasants to house whomever it says and wherever it dictates.”
The federal government and aid agency International Rescue Committee announced Wednesday plans to transfer six people to Dallas.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton responded quickly on Abbott’s behalf, filing a lawsuit on behalf of the state Health and Human Service Commission against the Obama administration and the nonprofit through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The suit claims the state has “reasonable concerns about the safety and security of the citizenry of the State of Texas.”
The lawsuit alleges the government failed to fulfill its obligation to consult with the state before resettling refugees within its boundaries, a reminder the governor made days after the Paris terrorist attacks.
But last week the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement told states they lacked the power to refuse refugees and would be in violation of the law to deny benefits or services to any individual, leaving the matter to be decided by the courts.
