Posted on 11/17/2015 4:42:33 PM PST by markomalley
The State Department said Tuesday that it believes state governors have little say over whether they will house refugees from Syria or anywhere else in the world, and that once they arrive, refugees can choose to live in any state they want.
"They can ultimately choose wherever they want to go," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.
The question of refugee rights has come up as many governors have said they would refuse people from Syria, over fears that members of the Islamic State may try to slip in posing as refugees. One of the Paris attackers entered France that way.
The Obama administration has said it would make no changes to its plan to take up to 10,000 Syrian refugees this year. Toner said under current law, any refugee who land in the U.S. is "protected by the Constitution and federal law."
Refugees must apply to be permanent residents, but the are able to live where they want.
"He or she is also free to move anywhere in the country, although certain state benefits may be available to the refugees only in the state of resettlement," he said. "So, pick your state, wherever he or she may be resettled in, if they decide to leave that state, it may affect ... some of the funding that they get from that state."
Toner said the federal government works with various groups around the country to recommend and "coordinate" placement for refugees.
"Working with these local groups or local NGOs throughout the country, we try to, frankly, balance a multitude of factors on where are the best place," he said.
But he said if a state objects to placement decisions, there's little they can do other than to refuse federal funding aimed at helping to defray the costs.
"They wouldn't have access to that funding," he said.
Legal experts have said they agree that there's little states can do to stop the federal government from placing refugees in their states, even if they disagree.
The State Department of the lawless Obama Administration is unsurprisingly blatantly ignoring the following about the Constitution. One of the main reasons that the Founding States drafted the federal Constitution was to deliberately limit (cripple) the federal governments powers.
From a related thread . . .
Since USA citizens, evidently including state lawmakers and governors, tend to be clueless about their countrys history, its not surprising that state versus federal government constitutional authority to regulate immigration, a major issue during the presidencies of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, has been completely forgotten.
More specifically, regardless of PC interpretations of the Constitutions ”uniform Rule of Naturalization” Clause (1.8.4) used to justify federal immigration laws, while state sovereignty-ignoring Adams signed a constitutionally indefensible federal immigration bill into law, both Jefferson and Madison, Madison generallly regarded as the father of the Constitution, wrote that such a law is unconstitutional in the context of state sovereignty. This is evidenced by the excerpts below.
Here is the relevant excerpt from Jeffersons writings.
” 4. _Resolved_, That alien friends are under the jurisdiction and protection of the laws of the State wherein they are: that no power over them has been delegated to the United States, nor prohibited to the individual States, distinct from their power over citizens. And it being true as a general principle, and one of the amendments to the Constitution having also declared, that ”the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” the act of the Congress of the United States, passed on the - day of July, 1798, intituled ”An Act concerning aliens,” which assumes powers over alien friends, not delegated by the Constitution, is not law, but is altogether void, and of no force [emphasis added].” Thomas Jefferson, Draft of the Kentucky Resolutions - October 1798.
Here is the related excerpt from Madison's writings from the Virginia Resolutions.
"That the General Assembly doth particularly protest against the palpable and alarming infractions of the Constitution, in the two late cases of the ”Alien and Sedition Acts" passed at the last session of Congress; the first of which exercises a power no where delegated to the federal government, .... . .
. . . the General Assembly doth solemenly appeal to the like dispositions of the other states, in confidence that they will concur with this commonwealth in declaring, as it does hereby declare, that the acts aforesaid, are unconstitutional; and that the necessary and proper measures will be taken by each, for co-operating with this state, in maintaining the Authorities, Rights, and Liberties, referred to the States respectively, or to the people [emphasis added]. ” James Madison, Draft of the Virginia Resolutions - December 1798.
Yes, the refugees can go wherever they want but will they? I always wondered why the Somali Muslims stay in the frozen tundras of Maine and Minnesota. It’s because that is where they were sent, attain welfare and live among others of their ilk. The Muslims do not scatter, and instead make enclaves to Balkanize the USA.
The goathumpers will get housing, money, food, phone, citizenship all paid for by us who can find only low paying jobs. Yes, we do have a say about where they will go.
The red states can cut benefits. All red states should be abandoning their income tax in favor of sales taxes, which eliminate the non contributors. Just make it better to be a parasite in a blue state.
Anyone uttering the word TREASON!!!!!!!!!what the hell is wrong with our people??????
The federal government wants you dead on the sidewalk. Clear enough?
L
And next year we hope to tell you and your fellow @$$ bastards where to go as well.
I can’t answer for Michigan but they get generous bennies in Maine...especially in Lewiston. They ran ads in Atlanta tears ago advertising for otherSomalis to come. Lewiston is a husk of a town now, a welfare haven.they
It is my wife’s hometown that she no longer recognizes.
Obama/CMS gives each state millions of dollars. Some big states billions for Medicaid and other block grants and hundreds of specific grants.
Obama can legally and arbitrarily cut off that money. He can give the money to CAIR or some local faux Christian group.
How many Red State governors will sell their state for a mess of pottage?
And I see no legal barrier to a state that wishes to relocate a refugee, or any number or refugees, to Washington, DC, at a time and in a manner chosen by the chief executive of said state.
EXACTLY! The Govornor’s should call out the National Guard, load them up and transport them straight to DC.
What’s he going to do about it?
Enough is enough! Anything less is not acceptable.
And I see no legal barrier to a state that wishes to relocate a refugee, or any number or refugees, to Washington, DC, at a time and in a manner chosen by the chief executive of said state.
EXACTLY! The Govornor’s should call out the National Guard, load them up and transport them straight to DC.
What’s he going to do about it?
Enough is enough! Anything less is not acceptable.
He could send them right back, setting up a game of invader ping pong that the Feds could win by virtue of unlimited spending power.
It’s TIME to DownSize DC! Close ENTIRE Rogue/UnConstitutional Departments, including their SWAT Teams.
More than 1/2 of what is done in DC would not be missed outside the limits of DC if it were totally eliminated.
This is the only path out of this mess.
Lovely... So Barack O Dingo can surgically inject future “homegrown terrorists” into all of his least favorite communities using your tax money and there’s nothing you can do about it.
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