The Patriot Post® · Texas Puts Refugee Program on Notice

The Obama administration plans to resettle 110,000 refugees into the U.S. over the coming year, but Texas is having none of it. The Lone Star State, which saw an influx of some 7,000 refugees over the last 12 months, has announced plans to sever its participation in the Obama administration’s refugee program.

The Washington Free Beacon explains that the reason has to do with a lack of safeguards: “Texas officials drafted a plan that would require federal national security officials to provide assurances that none of the individuals being resettled pose a terror threat. The administration has declined to approve this plan.”

Gov. Greg Abbott says, “Despite multiple requests by the state of Texas, the federal government lacks the capability or the will to distinguish the dangerous from the harmless, and Texas will not be an accomplice to such dereliction of duty to the American people. Therefore, Texas will withdraw from the refugee resettlement program. I strongly urge the federal government to completely overhaul a broken and flawed refugee program that increasingly risks American lives.”

Abbott is right to be concerned. Around 30,000 migrants from terror hot spots managed to infiltrate the southern border last year. Barack Obama can insist, as he did this week, that “refugees are subject to more vigorous screening than the average tourist.” But why should we believe anything he says? Earlier this year, Hillary Clinton asserted, “I think we’ve done a really good job securing the border.”

How good? Well, a newly uncovered DHS memo says, “Refugee fraud is easy to commit, yet not easy to investigate.” In fact, “bad actors … have exploited this program.” You don’t say. Remember that next time Democrats say we have nothing to worry about.

(Updated.)