A U.S. federal judge rejected efforts from Texas officials to bar Syrian refugees' entry. The decision said that petitioners failed to show that there will be irreparable harm should these refugees be brought for resettlement in the lone star state.
U.S. District Judge David Godbey denied the petition for preliminary injunction filed by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The suit has been brought against the International Rescue Committee which is one of the relief agencies that rescues Syrian refugees, The Dallas Morning News reported. This is the second time that the federal judge denied the state's request after denying the initial application for temporary restraining order filed on Dec. 2 last year
Despite President Obama's pledge to take in 10,000 refugees from Syria, 30 U.S. governors moved to bar refugees from bringing Syrian refugees in U.S. soil after the terrorist attacks in Paris. Since then, U.S. has admitted 2,000 refugees, Reuters reported.
Texas contends that the federal government violated the Refugee Act of 1980 by not consulting federal states in its decision to take in Syrian refugees. In response, the Justice Department called the Texas suit a "political bluster," MSNBC reported. Ironically, the state department said that Texas has long been a national leader in accepting refugees of all nationalities. Since the Syrian conflict, Texas took in about 224 Syrian refugees, The Dallas Morning News reported.
In the decision, Judge Godbey pointed out that the court does not deny the risk that comes with the taking in of some Syrian refugees. However, the court noted that it cannot interfere with the executive branch in assessing the risks that comes with the discharge of its diplomatic functions. Judge Godbey said that the contentions presented were "largely speculative hearsay" absent evidence of substantial threat or irreparable injury.
Amid the tense political climate in war-torn Syria, thousands of refugees fled the country to seek resettlement elsewhere. Since then, a string of terror attacks brought fears that terrorists may use the U.S. immigration and refugee system to infiltrate the country. As a measure to tighten security, the U.S. modified its Visa Waiver program. Citizens of Iran, Syria, Sudan and Iraq are now required to secure visa before entering U.S.
