In the wake of Friday's deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, more than half of all US governors have said they won't allow Syrian refugees to resettle in their state.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 26 governors had issued statements saying they would bar Syrian refugees from settling in their states, citing fears that violent extremists will masquerade as refugees in order to gain entry to the United States.
Legally, these proclamations have little effect; states don't have the authority to bar refugees from settling within their borders. But they can ask the State Department not to send refugees there. And once the refugees have arrived, they can try to withhold state funds to help them learn English, get job training, or help their kids succeed at school.
The growing list of states that will not accept Syrian refugees currently includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. All are lead by Republican governors.
"There may be those who will try to take advantage of the generosity of our country and the ability to move freely within our borders through this federal resettlement program, and we must ensure we are doing all we can to safeguard the security of Americans," Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said in a statement on the issue.
An additional five governors have called for increased screening and security around Syrian refugees, but not gone as far as saying they'll block these them from settling in their states. This list includes New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. One of those states, New Hampshire, is governed by a Democrat, Maggie Hassan.
Many governors issued their proclamations over Twitter:
Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush have not gone as far as to call for the outright ban of Syrian refugees but have instead suggested that the US should limit refugee admissions to Christians (who make up about 10 percent of Syria's population).
Only eighteen governors — all Democrats, except for Governor Gary Herbert of Utah and Bill Walker of Alaska — have issued statements at this time in support of the resettlement of Syrian refugees.
See what governors have said about their decisions not to accept Syrian refugees in the table below.
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