Rocio Villalobos 
TEXAS – Texas is the first state to opt out of receiving refugees after a Trump administration executive order allowed state authorities to decide whether or not to participate in the Refugee Resettlement Program.
A letter written by Texas Governor Greg Abbot addressed to the United States Secretary of State reads in part:
“Texas has been left by Congress to deal with disproportionate migration issues resulting from a broken federal immigration system… As a result, Texas cannot consent to initial refugee resettlement for FY2020.”
According to data from the Refugee Processing Center, in 2018, Texas accepted approximately 7.6 percent of the nearly 23,000 refugees admitted into the U.S. — a total of 1,735 refugees, which is more than any other state.
Director of Catholic Charities of the RGV Sister Norma Pimentel says she is disappointed with the governor’s decision.
“These refugees are already part of a legal program, a process. We don’t understand why he would refuse them to be coming to the state of Texas,” said Pimentel.
The decision would not affect Catholic Charities, as the immigrants they serve have not yet legally been granted asylum, however, Sister Norma says it goes against fair process existent in the U.S. and should be challenged.
“I strongly believe that we must always try to find laws and procedures and policies to decide how things need to be processed in our country, but they should be fair to human life and fair to human dignity… I think we must uphold each other to those kinds of moral responses,” said Sister Norma.
A Maryland federal judge has temporarily blocked the policy banning refugees, however that ruling has the potential to be overturned. Further explaining his decision in the letter, Governor Abbott wrote Texas has the responsibility to dedicate it’s resources to those who are already here.
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