US Governors Want to Reject Syrian Refugees: Does This Violate UN Laws?

In light of the Paris attacks on Friday, nearly half of the US governors have called upon President Barack Obama and the rest of the United States to stop admitting Syrian refugees from the nation.

Most of these governors promised to do everything in their power to stop the refugees from entering their states, although the Huffington Post noted that all of them -- save for Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, are Republicans.

These governors represent the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

However, despite their pledge to block the entrance of Syrian refugees, Florida Governor Rick Scott said he doesn't think he has the authority to go against the federal government when it plans on resettling them.

Hassan wanted the U.S. to stop admitting refugees entirely, but her spokesman said she could not block their resettlement, either.

This is in objection to Obama's plan in admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year, all of whom will undergo security screenings that will take 18-24 months as they are noted to go through more extensive processes compared to tourists, students, and even people who cross the border.

New Jersey Governor and GP Candidate Chris Christie told Hugh Hewitt in an interview that he wants to keep all Syrian refugees out -- including the orphaned children. "The fact is that we need appropriate vetting, and I don't think orphans under five are being, you know, should be admitted into the United States at this point," he stated.

"In the end, I don't trust this administration to effectively vet the people that they're asking us to take in. We need to put the safety and security of the American people first," he explained.

No, these governors are not breaking international laws either despite the International Refugee Law, the U.S. has their own Refugee Act of 1980 that allows for the federal government to decide whether or not to accept refugees from other countries.

It has been noted by Reuters that experts in immigration law said governors turning their backs on refugees have no legal standing when it comes to blocking the federal government from settling those that arrived in America. However, they could obstruct these plans by cutting funding programs and by creating a hostile atmosphere.

Professor of Law at Harvard, Deborah Anker said about the issue, "The federal government has the power over immigration. If they admit Syrian refugees, they're here. People aren't going to the (state) border. The federal government is going to bring them in."