Colorado will not join states where governors are asking to block the White House from sending them Syrian refugees in the wake of the terrorist attack on Paris Friday.
“A few short days ago we witnessed another senseless act of terrorism,” Hickenlooper said in statement. “Our hearts go out to the families, friends and loved ones of those lost and injured in Paris, and in other acts of terror around the world.
“Our first priority remains the safety of our residents. We will work with the federal government and Homeland Security to ensure the national verification processes for refugees are as stringent as possible. We can protect our security and provide a place where the world’s most vulnerable can rebuild their lives.”
The White House has estimated 10,000 that will relocated to the United States before 2017.
On Monday, governors in 24 states said they will block refugees: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan is the only Democrat on the list.
President Obama on Monday denounced blocking refugees who are Muslim as “shameful” and a “betrayal of our values.”
Among Colorado’s delegation in Washington, the issue broke along party lines.
Sen. Michael Bennet, sounding a common concern, said any refugees must be thoroughly screened before being allowed in.
“Millions of Syrian refugees are desperately seeking protection, caught between ISIS’ brutality and Assad’s violent regime,” the Denver Democrat said. “This crisis threatens stability in the region and requires regional solutions. As we are being asked to shoulder some of this burden, regional partners like Saudi Arabia need to step up and do more.”
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat from Wheat Ridge, sided with the president and the governor.
“I believe the U.S., as part of an international coalition of countries, should accept Syrian refugees after careful screening and applying all measures in place to prevent terrorists from coming to the U.S.,” he said.
Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, disagreed, saying, “I’m opposed because we simply have no way of conducting adequate background checks for screening Syrian refugees. I do, however, support the concept of establishing “safe zones” within Syria where civilians can safely remain in their own country.”
Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican from Yuma who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the refugee crisis demands a proper response to Islamic State fighters.
“President Obama must develop a comprehensive strategy to address the developments in Syria and eradicate the threat of ISIS once and for all.” Gardner said. “We can’t let people into the United States who haven’t gone through a thorough background investigation and vetting process, ensuring that they won’t do harm to our country and its national security.”
Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, said he and other House Republicans were working on a means to block U.S.-bound refugees. He called Hickenlooper’s decision “naïve and irresponsible.”
“The fact is there is no way to stringently vet the refugees coming from Syria because there are no databases in Syria to confirm the most basic of information, like their identities. While most of these people are innocent and victims of war themselves, all it takes is one ISIS terrorist posing as an asylum seeker to enter the United States and inflict harm.”
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174, jbunch@denverpost.com or @joeybunch
