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Washington Informs American States on Refugee Resettlement Inevitability

© REUTERS / David RyderFile photo: People gather to protest against the United States' acceptance of Syrian refugees at the Washington State capitol in Olympia, Washington, November 20, 2015
File photo: People gather to protest against the United States' acceptance of Syrian refugees at the Washington State capitol in Olympia, Washington, November 20, 2015 - Sputnik International
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The US federal government warned the states that they have no authority to reject refugee resettlement on their territory, local media reported citing an official document.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to a letter from the US Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), cited by the Houston Chronicle newspaper on Wednesday, states may not deny ORR-funded benefits and services to refugees basing on a refugee's country of origin or religion.

"Accordingly, states may not categorically deny ORR-funded benefits and services to Syrian refugees," Director of the ORR Robert Carey said in a letter adding that the states not complying with the law "could be subject to enforcement action, including suspension or termination."

However, a spokesman for the Texas authorities overseeing refugee resettlement asked by the media stressed that the letter would not change their position on not participation in the Syrian refugees resettlement.

Syrian refugees wait to board a flight to Germany for temporary relocation, at Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013. - Sputnik International
Only 2,000 Syrian Refugees Admitted to US Out of 23,000 Referred by UN
Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told US President Barack Obama in a letter that his state would not accept any Syrian refugees after the terrorist attacks in Paris.

Abbott’s withdrawal from the resettlement program came after governors from the US states of Michigan and Alabama also announced they would halt bringing refugees in line with Obama's plan to allow some 10,000 Syrian refugees "anywhere" in the United States over the next year.

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