More than half of the nation’s governors declared their state’s borders closed to Syrian refugees after the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. But some churches and faith-based agencies are defying such orders, saying their faith tells them to open their doors to the stranger.
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch north of Atlanta, has helped resettle a Syrian family, despite an order from Gov. Nathan Deal that the state would not accept Syrian refugees.
Bryant Wright, the church’s pastor and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), said Dec. 9 that he understands the governor is “concerned about the security of the citizens of the state. But as Christians and as a church, we want to reach out with the love of Christ to these folks.”
He said his church had been planning to help the family before the recent attacks in France when authorities found that at least one of the suspects involved in the attacks entered Europe among the current wave of Syrian refugees.
Alabama’s Gov. Robert Bentley is 1 of the 31 governors that declared they would do everything they can to block Syrian refugees to coming to their states.
“I think the thing that I want to do as governor is to ensure that the people of Alabama are safe, and if there is even the slightest risk that the people who are coming in from Syria are not the types of people that we would want them to be, then we can’t take that chance,” Bentley said Nov. 19. “I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm’s way.”
The authority to make that decision, however, lies with the federal government, not individual states, according to the Constitution. The question of who should be allowed in a state, and who is classified as a refugee in the first place, is something committed to the federal government by the Constitution.
Admission process
Every year the president authorizes a certain number of refugees for admission into the United States — determined through a process between Congress, the president and various federal agencies.
The U.S. currently takes in an average of 70,000 refugees each year. President Barack Obama’s administration said it was prepared to increase that cap to 85,000 in 2016 to allow at least 10,000 Syrian refugees into the U.S.
There are nine domestic resettlement agencies in the nation that have about 315 affiliated offices in 180 communities in the country. Of those there is only one in Alabama — The Service Center Archdiocese of Mobile Catholic Social Services.
The Service Center takes in up to 130 refugee families every calendar year, according to Monsignor Michael Farmer, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Mobile’s office of the bishop and spokesperson for the center. The center, completely funded by the government, is currently assisting around 100 families from the Middle East, Africa, Indonesia and Myanmar “become acclimated to the country and become effective members of our society.”
The center does that by making sure the refugees have a furnished place to stay when they arrive, appropriate clothing for the climate and by enrolling children in school and helping each refugee enroll in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program. The center, Farmer said, also helps with the adults’ job search.
Eight people work full- or part-time positions at the center and 20–50 people volunteer through different outlets, from ESL programs to setting up an apartment for a family.
At press time, Farmer told The Alabama Baptist that the government had not asked the center to take in any refugees from Syria but the center is prepared to do so if and when it is asked.
“From our perspective we see our resettlement program like any of our other charitable groups,” Farmer said. “We’re compelled by the gospel of Jesus to feed the hungry, visit the sick, take care of the fragile of society — and we see refugees as the fragile. … They are fleeing their homeland not because they want to but because of religious or political persecution.”
As far as national safety concerns go, Farmer said, “Any human being having dignity violated and their life threatened needs help. … But no refugee resettlement program can bring refugees here. It’s the federal government that designates who is a refugee and it is up to them to vet them before they come here. It’s up to them to do the security … and to place them in a resettlement program.”
President Obama said Nov. 18 while he was in the Philippines, “We are not well served when in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic. We don’t make good decisions if it’s based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks.”
HR4038
However, on Nov. 19 the House approved the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act (HR4038) with a 289–137 vote. The act would require the secretary of Homeland Security, the FBI director and the director of national intelligence to each certify that a refugee was not a threat to national security before they were admitted to the U.S. These measures would come on top of the pre-existing screening process which takes more than 18 months.
HR4038 was placed on the Senate legislative calendar under general orders Nov. 19.
States that have said they will willingly accept Syrian refugees are California, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Vermont and Washington.
Share with others: