[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 168 (Monday, November 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    LETTER FROM GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 16, 2015

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following letter from Governor 
Greg Abbott:

                                                November 16, 2015.
     Hon. Barack Obama,
     President of the United States,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear President Obama: As governor of Texas, I write to 
     inform you that the State of Texas will not accept any 
     refugees from Syria in the wake of the deadly terrorist 
     attack in Paris.
       Further, I--and millions of Americans--implore you to halt 
     your plans to accept more Syrian refugees in the United 
     States. A Syrian ``refugee'' appears to have been part of the 
     Paris terror attack. American humanitarian compassion could 
     be exploited to expose Americans to similar deadly danger. 
     The reasons for such concerns are plentiful.
       The FBI director testified to Congress that the federal 
     government does not have the background information that is 
     necessary to effectively conduct proper security checks on 
     Syrian nationals. Director Comey explained: ``We can query 
     our database until the cows come home, but there will be 
     nothing show up because we have no record of them.''
       The threat posed to Texas by ISIS is very real. ISIS 
     claimed credit last May when two terrorist gunmen launched an 
     attack in Garland, Texas. Less than two weeks later, the FBI 
     arrested an Iraqi-born man in North Texas and charged him 
     with lying to federal agents about traveling to Syria to 
     fight with ISIS. And in 2014, when I served as Texas attorney 
     general, we participated in a Joint Terrorism Task Force that 
     arrested two Austin residents for providing material support 
     to terrorists--including ISIS.
       Given the tragic attack in Paris and the threats we have 
     already seen in Texas, coupled with the FBI director's 
     acknowledgment that we do not have the information necessary 
     to effectively vet Syrian nationals, Texas cannot participate 
     in any program that will result in Syrian refugees--any one 
     of whom could be connected to terrorism--being resettled in 
     Texas.
       Effective today, I am directing the Texas Health & Human 
     Services Commission's Refugee Resettlement Program to not 
     participate in the resettlement of any Syrian refugees in the 
     State of Texas. And I urge you, as president, to halt your 
     plans to allow Syrians to be resettled anywhere in the United 
     States. Neither you nor any federal official can guarantee 
     that Syrian refugees will not be part of any terroristic 
     activity. As such, opening our door to them irresponsibly 
     exposes our fellow Americans to unacceptable peril.
           Respectfully,
                                                      Greg Abbott,
     Governor.

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