http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/middleeast/france-raqqa-airstrikes-on-isis/
DES MOINES | Gov. Terry Branstad, after initially expressing doubt about his ability keep Syrian refugees out of Iowa, said late Monday he will stop their resettlement.
“We want to do everything we can to prevent it from happening here,” said. “We think it’s just too risky for the people of Iowa.”
Branstad joined a growing list of governors, nearly all of them Republicans, moving to close their states’ borders to Syrian refugees in the wake of the Paris attacks Friday. USA Today reported 23 governors had taken such action.
A Syrian passport reportedly was found near the body of one of the Paris attackers.
Branstad said until “the safety of Iowans can be assured,” the federal government shouldn’t send refugees to Iowa.
“We have welcomed refugees from around the world into Iowa,” Branstad said in a statement. “We must continue to have compassion for others, but we must also maintain the safety of Iowans and the security of our state.”
The announcement was a turnabout from earlier in the day, when Branstad expressed doubts about the state’s ability to stop the federal government from resettling refugees.
“I don’t know that the states have the authority to decide whether or not we can take refugees. This is a federal program,” Branstad said.
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