AUSTIN: Texas will stop helping the U.S. government provide aid and services to refugees, state officials said Wednesday, severing ties at a time when President Barack Obama has announced intentions to dramatically increase the number of resettlements in 2017.
Kansas and New Jersey also have pulled out of the federally funded refugee resettlement program due to what Republicans have called security concerns. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his state will follow suit unless demands for more rigorous refugee vetting are "unconditionally" met by Sept. 30.
Federal officials say refugees are exhaustively screened and have won several court battles over states' efforts to block the arrival of Syrian refugees in the wake of November's deadly attacks in Paris.
But GOP leaders, including vice presidential candidate and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, have said a Syrian passport, now believed to be fake, was found near one of the suicide bombers, and earlier this week, presidential hopeful Donald Trump's eldest son likened refugees from the war-torn country to a bowl of poisonous candy.
"Empathy must be balanced with security," Abbott said Wednesday in a statement.
Federal officials did not immediately comment on Texas' intentions. In other states, the Obama administration works directly with local resettlement agencies instead of passing federal dollars for refugee services and benefits through state agencies.
One of the largest resettlement agencies in the U.S., the International Rescue Committee, released a statement from its Dallas director saying that Texas' decision "cannot obstruct our moral obligation to protect and welcome the world's most vulnerable."
The White House has said the U.S. would resettle 110,000, a 30 percent increase over the 85,000 allowed this year.
Obama told the United Nations this week that world leaders have pledged to take in 360,000 refugees next year, calling it a "crisis of epic proportions" that tested both the international order and the world's humanity. He added, "History will judge us harshly if we do not rise to this moment."
Nearly 30 states vowed to block Syrian refugees following the Paris attacks. Texas was the first to sue the federal government in an attempt to block resettlements but a judge threw out the lawsuit in June after twice rejecting the state's claims that refugees presented an imminent risk. The state has appealed.
Indiana is also continuing to fight in court over efforts to uphold Pence's order to bar agencies from helping Syrian refugees resettle in his state. A federal judge has ruled the order "clearly discriminates" against refugees, which the state is appealing to a high court in Chicago.