Posted on March 1, 2016

Judge: Resistance to Obama’s Migrant Program Futile

Douglas Ernst, WND, February 29, 2016

Indiana’s attempt to resist President Obama’s Syrian refugee program was sidetracked by a federal judge on Monday.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt issued a ruling in Indianapolis that said Gov. Mike Pence’s plan to bar state agencies from assisting in the process was discriminatory. The 36-page decision came as a result of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in November on behalf of Exodus Refugee Immigration, a resettlement agency. The group has vetted 19 migrants for the U.S. government.

“[Pence’s order] clearly discriminates against Syrian refugees based on their national origin,” the judge wrote, the Associated Press reported.

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Pence said he would appeal Pratt’s ruling and that his reason for denying the services was valid–that he simply wanted to protect state residents from a terror attack like the types seen in Paris, AP reported.

Lawsuits have been filed by the governors of Alabama, Pennsylvania and Texas claiming the federal government has failed to provide adequate “consultation” to state officials as required by the Refugee Act of 1980. In South Carolina, a private citizen is suing, as WND reported, to stop the resettlements all together, claiming that Gov. Nikki Haley is failing in her most basic duty to protect the citizens of that state. A hearing in the South Carolina case has been set for March 22.

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The ACLU claims Pence’s order violates the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act by accepting refugees from other countries but not from Syria. {snip}

Indiana was joined by more than two dozen other states that took similar measures to protect citizens against ISIS, which has vowed to use refugee programs as a Trojan Horse.

“I’ve instructed the [Indiana] Attorney General to seek an immediate stay [and] appeal of the Syrian refugee fed court decision,” Pence said via Twitter after the ruling. “As Gov I have no higher priority than safety & security of Hoosiers. During these uncertain times, we must always err on the side of caution. For that reason, I suspended participation by the State of Indiana in the Syrian refugee resettlement program and I stand by that decision.”

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