Tennessee GOP leader: Round up Syrian refugees, remove from state

A top Tennessee Republican lawmaker believes the time has come for the National Guard to round up any Syrian refugees who have recently settled in the state and to stop any additional Syrian refugees from entering Tennessee.

"We need to activate the Tennessee National Guard and stop them from coming in to the state by whatever means we can," said House GOP Caucus Chairman Glen Casada, R-Franklin, referencing refugees.

TN GOP leader: 'Civil disobedience' needed against Syrian refugees

"I’m not worried about what a bureaucrat in D.C. or an unelected judge thinks. ... We need to gather (Syrian refugees) up and politely take them back to the ICE center and say, 'They’re not coming to Tennessee, they’re yours.' "

Advocates decry 'dangerous' Syrian refugee rhetoric

How does refugee resettlement work?

Tennessee governor asks feds to stop sending Syrian refugees

Other leading lawmakers may not have joined Casada's call to send refugees to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but many of Tennessee's GOP lawmakers at the state and federal level are looking at taking some form of action related to refugees in the U.S. after terrorist attacks in Paris killed at least 129 people and wounded hundreds more.

Casada was asked to elaborate on his proposal, and whether Tennessee had the authority to detain refugees.

"Tennessee is a sovereign state. If the federal government is forsaking the obligation to protect our citizens, we need to act," Casada said during a phone interview with The Tennessean on Tuesday.

In fiscal year 2015, only 30 of the 1,601 refugees settled in Tennessee came from Syria, according to the Tennessee Office for Refugees. But by and large, refugees are free to go to different states eventually after resettlement: A 2013 report estimated at the time there could be as many as 58,000 refugees and their family members living in Tennessee.

Gov. Bill Haslam sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Tuesday formally asking him to stop sending Syrian refugees to Tennessee. Haslam spokesman David Smith said the governor joined other governors Tuesday on a conference call with White House officials, but Smith didn't say whether there was any resolution. More than half of the nation's governors have asked for federal officials to stop sending Syrian refugees to their states.

Governors have little power to block refugees

Several legal scholars, cited by USA TODAY and many other outlets, argue states have no legal authority to stop the federal government from sending refugees to their states. As first reported by the Commercial Appeal of Memphis, several state Democrats, including House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Stewart, asked for an opinion on the issue from Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery.

"I think that is one of the most extraordinarily misguided statements that I have heard made by a public official," Stewart, D-Nashville, said in reference to Casada's proposal.

"We need to approach this issue from a standpoint of strength and not fear, and we should have great confidence in our military forces and in our law enforcement agencies to keep our citizens safe. We don’t need to go off half-cocked and start interfering in the defense policy of our country."

Ron Ramsey: Paris attack 'lesson' against immigration

But Casada, Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, and at least a few other lawmakers believe it's time to call a special legislative session to look at doing something.

"I believe we should take a long look at the entire refugee program and use any means necessary to stop refugees from entering Tennessee if they come from countries with ties to ISIS, Al-Qaeda and similar terrorist groups," House Majority Whip Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, said in a statement.

"If the U.S. Supreme Court says the federal government cannot force states to expand their Medicaid rolls, I'm not sure how the federal government believes it can legitimately force Tennessee to accept refugees from countries with known terrorists."

LivinNASH | Guide to Nashville

Asked if he thinks it's reasonable to round up Syrian refugees in Tennessee, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said "no." He didn't elaborate. But Norris and House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said Tuesday it might be too early for lawmakers to call a special session. Emotions on every side of the issue are running high, Norris said, and it's important to evaluate the law first before taking any action.

"I think what Governor Haslam did was too much in some (people's) opinion and too little in others', which means it was just about right in stabilizing the situation, at least temporarily," Norris said.

Those emotions are sending the legislative conversation in a dangerous direction, said Senate Democratic Caucus leader Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville.

"We’re better than this," Yarbro said Tuesday. "After Paris, it makes sense to fear the violence being exported by ISIS. But giving in to fear, closing the borders and abandoning our allies is un-American, and ultimately will make our situation even more dangerous."

Mayor Barry: Nashville should continue welcoming refugees

McCormick supports the idea of not allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S. On Monday, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell issued a joint statement calling for federal action to stop all refugees from entering the country. The key concept in this debate is federal action, Harwell noted in a statement Tuesday.

"I'm supportive of exhausting every potential option that would be available to the state. However, I have not heard any concrete ideas for legislation," Harwell said. "This is an issue that is almost exclusively federal in nature, and I know many members are communicating their frustration with their congressional members."

Still, Womick and Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, suggested at least two possible legislative options. Womick wants lawmakers to consider taking back control of the state's refugee resettlement program from Catholic Charities of Tennessee. Catholic Charities has run the Office for Refugees since 2008, but Womick thinks it would be better to have the program under the purview of the state, as it was before 2008.

Ketron said he's crafting legislation aimed at determining how much money refugees cost the state.

"Beyond the urgent public safety concerns, state governments must pay the tab for refugee needs, like healthcare, education, and welfare programs. Currently, we do not collect the data we need to give us that information," Ketron said in a news release.

Tax records show Catholic Charities receiving the vast majority of its funding from the federal government. This isn't the first time  Ketron has proposed legislation of this nature, and lawmakers have received data showing refugees account for far more revenue than expenses for Tennessee.

In 2013, a report from the state Fiscal Review Committee noted it's hard to accurately convey the economic impact of refugees. But it estimated refugees represented nearly $1.4 billion in state revenue from 1990 to 2012, compared with at least $753 million spent by the state on refugees and their descendants during the same time period.

The current time frame for approved refugees to relocate to the U.S. is between 18 and 24 months, according to the State Department.

Republican leaders seek 'pause' in Syrian refugees; plan legislation soon

Tennessee's federal lawmakers have echoed concerns of their state GOP counterparts: U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker joined in calls of many other Tennessee Republicans to either "pause" the U.S. refugee program or allow states to decide whether they want to accept refugees. Federal legislative action to delay refugee resettlement in the U.S. could come as soon as this week, likely rendering much of the debate at the state level moot.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1. 

Refugees recently settled in Tennessee

A look at some information on the refugees settled in Tennessee between July and the end of September. 

Location of settlement: 

• Davidson County: 378
• Knox County: 84
• Shelby County: 60
• Hamilton County: 42
• Rutherford County: 25

Age breakdown: 

• "Employable adults": 327
• Minors: 251
• Seniors: 11

Source: Tennessee Office for Refugees