Indiana Governor Mike Pence Balks At ACLU Lawsuit Over His Decision To Bar Syrian Refugee Resettlement In Indiana

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Tuesday said he stands by his decision to suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state, a day after the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against him for the order.

The lawsuit, filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and ACLU national on behalf of Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc., claims the governor’s attempt to stop refugees from entering the state violates the United States Constitution and federal law. It seeks an injunction to stop the governor from taking any actions to suspend, block or withhold aid from refugees or from Exodus.

“Governor Pence took decisive action a week ago to put the safety and security of the people of Indiana first by suspending the state’s participation in the resettlement of Syrian refugees,” Pence spokeswoman Kara Brooks said in a statement Tuesday. “The governor is confident he has the authority to suspend the state’s participation in the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana and will not reverse course until the Administration and Congress take action to pause this program and implement measures necessary to address security gaps acknowledged by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.”

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Meanwhile, the mayors from these cities have petitioned President Obama for more Syrian refugees to be sent to their cities.

Ed Pawlowski, Mayor of Allentown, PA
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore, MD
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston, MA
James Diossa, Mayor of Central Falls, RI
Mark Kleinschmidt, Mayor of Chapel Hill, NC
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago, IL
Edward Terry, Mayor of Clarkston, GA
Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton, OH
Domenick Stampone, Mayor of Haledon, NJ
Pedro E. Segarra, Mayor of Hartford, CT
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, CA
Betsy Hodges, Mayor of Minneapolis, MN
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, NY
Jose Torres, Mayor of Paterson, NJ
William Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA
Javier Gonzales, Mayor of Santa Fe, NM
Francis G. Slay, Mayor of St. Louis, MO
Stephanie A. Miner, Mayor of Syracuse, NY

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