SALT LAKE CITY – November 16 (Gephardt Daily) ─ Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert is the latest governor to express reservations about incoming Syrian refugees and public security, and has said protocols must be reevaluated.
On Monday afternoon, Herbert spokesman Jon Cox issued the following statement regarding Syrian refugees entering the state of Utah:
“Gov. Herbert joins with those who mourn the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France. In the wake of these attacks, the governor will aggressively pursue a course of action that provides for the safety and security of Utahns.
“The governor has directed the Utah Department of Public Safety to immediately reevaluate the security checks currently used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security as part of Utah’s refugee program. The highest duty of a governor is to protect public safety. Working together with our congressional delegation, the governor will diligently assess these security protocols, and if warranted, implement a change in state policy.
“Utahns are well known for our compassion for those who are fleeing the violence in their homeland, and we will work to do all we can to ease their suffering without compromising public safety.”
The governors of Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Indiana and Massachusetts have said they would oppose any attempts to relocate Syrian refugees to their states days after a terror attack tied to Syria killed at least 129 people in Paris.
Concern about the influx of migrants from Syria was heightened over the weekend after it was revealed one of the militants involved in the Paris attacks may have posed as a Syrian refugee in Turkey.
