Senator Martins: Governor Should Tell Washington “No” to Resettling Syrian Nationals in New York Because of Insufficient Safeguards

     “Just say 'no'! Governor Cuomo must join a growing list of Governors from around the country in rejecting the federal government's efforts to settle Syrian nationals in our communities or anywhere in New York.  Proper safeguards are not in place and, until they are, our families and communities cannot be put at risk.  

     ISIS has already said that it will exploit the Syrian refugee crisis as a way to bypass security and smuggle terrorists into Western countries.  We can’t allow that to happen here.  We’ve already seen evidence of that in Paris, where one of the terrorists entered Europe posing as a refugee with a Syrian passport.  Rather than suspend its own program until more facts can be gathered about how that occurred, the federal government continues to push forward with plans to allow 10,000 Syrians into the country over the next year.  Again, not here.  

     Representatives in both parties have raised proper concerns about the inability to conduct adequate background checks.  At least 26 Governors have told the Obama administration they do not want the federal government to place Syrian refugees in their states because the vetting mechanisms are insufficient.  New York State must do the same - all the more so given our state's  distinction as a high-profile terror target. 

     ISIS' depravity knows no bounds - using refugees as shields.  Our hearts break for the true refugees who are fleeing the same terror we are trying to prevent. But without appropriate safeguards to keep terrorists from infiltrating our borders and endangering our communities, we must not proceed.

     The most important responsibility we have is to protect the safety of our residents. We cannot compromise nor abdicate our responsibility.”