JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — With reports of more Syrian refugees relocating into Missouri this week, Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway has reiterated her position that, if elected, she would do everything within the power the governor’s office to stop the influx of such refugees until the vetting system is reformed.
Hanaway’s campaign sent out an email to supporters this week following media reports that 26 new Syrian refugees had resettled into St. Louis.
“I am very concerned that we, as country, and certainly as a state, don’t have the ability to discern whether these refugees pose a threat to our safety,” Hanaway said in the email.
Other candidates running for governor hold similar views. St. Louis businessman John Brunner, former Navy SEAl officer Eric Greitens, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, all Republicans, each have called on Gov. Jay Nixon to stop allowing Syrian refugees into Missouri.
So has Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster, who is also running for governor. He also has said Missouri should pause relocations.
According to published reports, the International Institute of St. Louis helped four families from Syria move into the city last weekend. President Barack Obama said last year he would increase the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. this year from 70,000 to 85,000 with 10,000 of them from Syria.
Big mistake, said Hanaway. In her email, she said it’s clear to her that ISIS and other terror factions are using Syrian refugees as a cover to infiltrate Europe and the U.S. Hanaway notes that, in March, Philip Breedlove, a NATO general, testified to the Senate armed forces committee that ISIS is “spreading like cancer” among migrants from Middle Eastern countries.
After the attacks in Paris last year, reports surfaced that the attackers snuck into Europe disguised as Syrian refugees.
Governors across the country debated whether or not they should halt Syrian refugees from relocating into their states. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon demurred, saying that immigration matters fall under the purview of the federal government.
“The governor’s office is allowing this to happen, which is outrageous,” said Hanaway campaign spokesman Nick Maddux. “She is concerned that terrorists have been known to make themselves hidden among refugees. It’s a huge safety concern.”
Hanaway has been talking about this issue for a long time, Maddux said. Hanaway joined other governors across the country a few months ago saying she would not allow un-vetted Syrians into Missouri if she was governor.
“It’s happening now and that was the impetus of the email,” Maddux said. “As governor, Catherine would order all state departments and agencies to cease operating with or participating in Syrian resettlement efforts.”
Many other governors have done this already, Maddux said.
