Gov. Rick Snyder

LANSING — Arab American and pro-immigration groups slammed Gov. Snyder last week and went as far as accusing him of Islamophobia for deciding to pause efforts to resettle Syrian refugees in the state. But the Michigan Office for New Americans said the governor is still committed to welcoming immigrants and refugees from all over the world.

The state condemned the terrorist attacks in Beirut, Paris and over Egypt and said its goal is to make Michigan a destination for all refugees.

“In spite of what has been reported in the media, I am proud to say that our governor has not wavered from his commitment to welcome those who are being displaced by violence or persecution,” Bing Goei, director of the Michigan Office for New Americans, said in a statement.

Goei cited an opinion piece that Snyder penned in Time magazine. The governor wrote in the op-ed that he simply wants federal agencies to review the background checks and vetting process for those applying for refugee status. 

“My primary responsibility is to keep the people of Michigan safe,” Snyder’s article reads. “That’s why I’ve asked to pause our efforts to bring more refugees to Michigan and requested the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to take a full review of the security clearances and procedures for all refugees who have the potential to be placed in Michigan.”

Snyder cited the Paris attacks in the statement announcing that the state will pause efforts to bring Syrians fleeing the war to the state and several organizations stated they were “disappointed” in the governor’s call.

For example, the Arab-American Civil Rights League (ACRL), condemned efforts to pause resettling Syrian refugees as a step away from American traditions.

Snyder’s decision to halt Syrian refugee resettlement was followed by similar decisions by 30 other Republican governors.

Saeed Khan, Middle East history professor at Wayne State University, said Snyder’s statement “caught people off guard”, given his initial stand on making Michigan a destination for newcomers from Syria. 

However, Khan said Snyder, unlike other governors, was not exploiting preexisting prejudices.

“The others had a track record of being anti-immigrant, of being anti-Muslim and anti-Arab in their rhetoric; we don’t have that with Gov. Snyder,” the professor said.

Khan added that the governor seems to be walking away from his stance in order to clarify his position— that his concerns were about the process, not the refugees themselves.

He added that there is a public lack of confidence in the vetting process for refugees.

Khan said the background checks take up to 20 months, involving more than a dozen federal and international agencies, but average citizens may not be aware of that.

He also said the governor might have changed his original position of welcoming refugees after pressure from Republican politicians and private citizens, especially after he signed the “unpopular” bill that would raise taxes and fees to fix the roads.

Summit

Khan suggested hosting a national summit on refugees in Michigan to help Snyder refine his position and reaffirm his commitment to newcomers.

“It would help distinguish his position from those exploiting the issue for prejudices and nativistic attitudes,” he said.

He added that the summit, which would be attended by federal security officials, would also reassure Americans about the vetting process and highlight the coordination between federal, state and local agencies.

Ahead of the 2016 elections, Khan predicted that refugee resettlement will continue to grow as a contentious issue.

He said politicians will continue to harness the anxiety of their base by speaking against refugees.

“Unfortunately a large segment of this population is very fearful that America is becoming less White, less Anglo Saxon and less Protestant,” Khan said.