(WBAP/KLIF) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott has informed the U.S. State Department Friday that it will not participate in refugee resettlement this fiscal year.
Governor Abbott was responding to an executive order from President Trump that enhances state and local involvement in refugee resettlement.
In a letter sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Abbott said state and non-profit organizations should concentrate resources on refugees and migrants already here. But Cindy Huang with Refugees International says it’s a disappointing decision.
“We know that refugees contribute to local economies and communities,” Huang said.
According to Abbott, a broken federal immigration system has left the state with disproportionate migration issues. In the letter he said Texas has had “to deal with the consequences of an immigration system that Congress has failed to fix.”
He ended the letter by saying the state can’t consent to initial refugee resettlement in Fiscal Year 2020.
Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below:
