Nov. 17, 2015
HARRISBURG – Rep. Tarah Toohil (R-Luzerne) today issued the following statement in regard to Gov. Tom Wolf’s recent announcement that Syrian refugees would continue to be welcomed into Pennsylvania.
“I have signed on to several letters being sent by members of the General Assembly to Gov. Tom Wolf expressing our grave concern regarding Pennsylvania continuing to accept Syrian refugees. The governor indicates he will work with the federal government to screen refugees. However, I seriously doubt the ability of our government to adequately screen 10,000 refugees in the Arabic language. In light of the recent attacks on Paris and the initiation of air raids in Syria by France, all Syrian refugee immigration should be immediately halted.
“While reports cite that 14 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Pennsylvania since Oct. 1, it should be noted that the Commonwealth is one of the top six states in accepting Syrian refugees. There are 14 states that have not accepted any Syrian refugees since Oct. 1, 2014.
“FBI Director James Comey recently testified before Congress that there are gaps in the data necessary to track and screen Syrian refugees. As we have all heard, one of the terrorists implicated in the Paris attacks is suspected of posing as a refugee in order to gain admittance to France. There is also a report that a Syrian refugee in Louisiana moved without the state’s knowledge and cannot be located. In response to this, Gov. Bobby Jindal issued an executive order preventing the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Louisiana.
“Gov. Wolf’s actions jeopardize the safety of the citizens of Pennsylvania. Our state’s security should take priority over the welfare of individuals who live thousands of miles away. Thus, we must take action to reverse this dangerous policy.”
Representative Tarah Toohil
116th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Contact: Rep. Toohil’s Office
717.260.6136
RepToohil.com /
Facebook.com/RepToohil