Federal judge dismisses Texas' lawsuit over Syrian refugees
Source: Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas' efforts to halt the arrival of Syrian refugees have been blocked by a federal judge, who rejected Republican leaders' claims that refugees pose an imminent risk or that states deserve a say in resettlements.
The ruling comes days after presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called to block non-citizen Muslims from entering the U.S. following the Orlando nightclub massacre.
U.S. District Judge David Godbey, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, had previously knocked Texas for offering "largely speculative hearsay" about extremists possibly infiltrating Syrian refugees. His ruling, which was signed Wednesday, rejected arguments that the Obama administration is wrongly leaving states on the sidelines when resettling refugees, which is handled by the federal government.
"Today's decision upholds and affirms America's proud history in providing refuge for the world's most vulnerable," said Jennifer Sime, senior vice president of U.S. programs with the International Rescue Committee, which helps resettle refugees and was named in the lawsuit.
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Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5133b39012d442c0b8999c2da76ae1f3/federal-judge-dismisses-texas-lawsuit-over-syrian-refugees
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