A string of United States governors have said they will refuse the resettlement of Syrian refugees in their home states in the wake of the deadly Paris attacks, prompting accusations of Islamophobia.
At least 26 state governors from the right-wing Republican party said on Sunday and Monday that they would refuse to accept Syrian refugees.
The states include; Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Alabama, Michigan, Louisiana, Indiana, Florida, Mississippi, Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Arkansas.
The announcements come just days after a series of assaults across the French capital left 129 dead and more than 350 injured.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group claimed the attacks.
Several governors cited reports that a Syrian passport was found near the body of one of the suspected attackers, who was killed during the incident.
While states do not have the authority to prevent the resettlement of refugees within their borders, governors can order their local refugee programmes not to cooperate with the federal government.
Nonetheless, the Council on American Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, says the governors’ announcements are indicative of growing Islamophobia among many in the US.
“We believe these governors are succumbing to fear and Islamophobia,” Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director of CAIR, told Al Jazeera.
“This is really a non-issue because refugees and immigrants are checked thoroughly by the authorities before entering the US.”
Although the US has only accepted about 1,500 Syrian refugees to date, the White House announced earlier this year that 10,000 more will be resettled in the country over a 12-month period.
Writing on Twitter, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said he will “oppose Syrian refugees being relocated” in his state.
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USA no mercy! Lol
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