Bennett: ‘Keeping Minnesota families safe must be the number one priority’

ST. PAUL — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton isn’t objecting to the possible placement of Syrian refugees in his state as long as they undergo rigorous screening first, but several lawmakers don’t agree.

Dayton released a statement Monday saying he has been assured by the White House that any refugees from the war-torn country would be “subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States.”

The Democratic governor also said, “My first priority is to protect the safety of the people of Minnesota.”

However, several Republicans are speaking out against the plan.

Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, came out in support of a letter sent by Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, calling on Dayton to urge President Barack Obama to suspend relocation efforts for Syrian refugees until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has completed a full review of security and screening procedures for refugees entering the country.

“Our heart breaks for these refugees and their families fleeing violence in Syria,” Bennett said in a press release. “However, in the wake of recent attacks in Paris, Lebanon, and elsewhere, keeping Minnesota families safe must be the number one priority. We must make sure screening procedures will keep out terrorists who wish to hide among innocent refugees.”

Dayton’s stance is in contrast to those in several Republican-led states, where governors say they don’t want any refugees settled within their borders in the wake of last week’s terror attacks in Paris.

U.S. law appears to bar states from legally blocking refugees from settling in their communities once they are granted admission.

President Obama’s administration has pledged to accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next 12 months. The U.S. State Department has said the refugees would be spread across the country. So far there have been only seven relocated to Minnesota, according to federal figures.

Daudt wrote Dayton a letter Monday urging the governor to seek a halt to the acceptance of Syrian refugees nationwide until security and vetting procedures can be fully reviewed.

“Minnesota families deserve an assurance from the federal government that the screening processes in place are thorough enough to prevent terrorists from entering our state before the relocation of refugees begins,” Daudt wrote. “Only after we have received those assurances from the federal government should we consider accepting any refugees.”