U.S., International Group Move to Block Texas’ Attempt to Reject Syrian Refugees

Texas's attempt to stop Syrian refugees from restarting their lives in the state has been opposed by the U.S. government and the group, International Rescue Committee.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an opposition asking a judge to block Texas' request for a temporary order that would stop all refugees from relocating to the state. The department stated that only the federal government could make decisions regarding where refugees are resettled.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission sued the government on Wednesday as a means of stopping refugees from entering Texas. The commission cited security reasons behind their decision. Since the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks on Paris, carried out by the Islamic State, several politicians across the U.S. have been weary of letting Syrian refuges into their communities. Many of them argue that it would not be safe to let people who might have ties to extremist groups into the country.

Texas is the first state to attempt to block the refugees.

The Obama administration pointed out during court that Texas "has made no showing that these refugees pose any threat, much less an imminent one, to the safety or security of Texas residents or any other Americans."

Prior to Texas's lawsuit, State Governor Greg Abbot had ordered all resettlement groups within the state to stop taking in refugees, which the White House has said is not allowed.

The International Rescue Committee, who filed their own opposition Friday to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, had plans to bring six refugees to Dallas on Friday. The nonprofit group also plans on relocating a family of four. The majority of the refugees are children under the age of 13. There are also grandparents and a woman, who is trying to reunite with her mother.

Now, according to the court documents (via ABC News), six refugees will arrive in Dallas and six more in Houston next week. On Thursday, another nine refugees are expected to arrive in Houston.

"We are confident that the IRC has always acted in accordance with the law when it comes to our work to assist refugees who have been given sanctuary in Texas," the IRC statement read. "We have had a strong and collaborative relationship with the State for the past 40 years to the benefit of refugees and local communities."

The administration has stressed that the vetting process is very thorough.