For years, more refugees have resettled in Houston and Texas than any other city or state in the country.

Now that may end.

Under a new requirement imposed by President Donald Trumps administration, state and local governments must consent in writing before refugees can arrive next year. At least 34 governors, including 13 Republicans, and 86 county and city executives have given their approval.

Mayors and county leaders of all Texas biggest cities including Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin sent letters opting in.

But Gov. Greg Abbott, who has lead efforts to block Syrian refugees and withdrew from the federal resettlement program in a largely symbolic move in 2016, has not.

If he does not agree, no refugees could be placed in the state, despite what local authorities may want.

John Wittman, Abbott's spokesman, did not return multiple calls, texts, and emails seeking comment.

Our understanding is that hes still weighing his options, said Jen Smyers, director of policy for Church World Service, one of nine national resettlement agencies in the country. Given its size and the welcome that refugees receive in Texas, and the faith communitys support, and businesses who rely on refugees for workers in agriculture, manufacturing, and meatpacking, it certainly would have a sizable impact if Texas were not to continue to resettle refugees.

This new veto power is unprecedented in decades of U.S. resettlement and comes as the White House has slashed the number of refugees allowed into the country to a record low of 18,000 for 2020 down from 30,000 in 2019 and an average of 102,000 annually during the programs peak in the 1980s.

The drastic cuts this year forced the closure of more than 51 resettlement programs and 41 offices suspended refugee services across the nation. The State Department has told resettlement organizations that it will not renew contracts in 2020 with all nine, Smyers said.

A State Department spokesperson said in an email that decisions on resettlement funding will be based on proposals the agencies submit and the overall need.

They want to dismantle the refugee program long term, Smyers said.

But she thinks the administration miscalculated when the president issued an executive order adding the veto requirement in September, thinking that the White House could count on cities and counties, particularly in conservative areas of the country, to reject refugee resettlement.

They were likely expecting more officials to say no, but we havent seen that yet, Smyers said. They have this idea that local people are against refugees or that Republicans are against refugees, but thats just not the case.

Republican governors sign on to resettlement

In October, Trump complained at a campaign rally in Minnesota about the large number of Somali refugees who have been placed in the state, prompting the crowd to jeer in agreement.

You should be able to decide what is best for your own cities and for your own neighborhoods, and thats what you have the right to do right now, the president said as images played of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a Somali refugee who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen. And believe me, no other president would be doing that.

The new process has been chaotic and beset with confusion. At first, the State Department told resettlement agencies that it would contact mayors and governors to obtain consent. Then, last month, the department told the groups that they would have to request letters from each state and municipality where they planned to place refugees and submit it as part of their request for funding.

Things have changed in small ways a million times, Smyers said.

Now, agencies are scrambling to obtain those letters and submit them before the Jan. 21 funding deadline. While many states and counties have yet to respond, no one has definitively said it will not resettle although the absence of written consent amounts to the same thing.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican who supports Trump on most issues, wrote in a letter to the president this fall that he recognized there is a logical limit to how many refugees can be successfully integrated in a period of time.

But he said Utah, founded by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fleeing persecution, was far from reaching that limit, and in fact, sought to resettle more refugees.

We empathize deeply with individuals and groups who have been forced from their homes and we love giving them a new home and a new life, he said. They become productive employees and responsible citizens.

In December, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, told federal authorities that refugees would continue to be welcome there as did Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, overriding disapproval from his state House and Senate leaders. They pointed to Tennessees pending litigation against the federal government over refugee resettlement.

The 2017 lawsuit argued that the federal government is forcing states to pay costs related to refugee resettlement in violation of the 10th Amendment, which grants states certain autonomy. A federal appeals court panel in October rejected the states request that it consider the argument, leaving the U.S. Supreme Court as its last option.

In a statement, Lee, also a Republican, said the United States and Tennessee have always been a shining beacon of freedom and opportunity for the persecuted and oppressed, particularly those suffering religious persecution.

He said his commitment was based on his Christian faith.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, another Republican in a deeply conservative state, said he too supported admitting refugees as long as local authorities consented. In a heated four-hour public comment session this month, Burleigh County commissioners agreed, but limited admissions to 25 and requested an annual report on the arrivals. It is unclear if they have the authority to make those demands.

And Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican who joined Abbott and 29 other mostly GOP governors to oppose the resettlement of Syrian refugees in 2015, wrote in a letter to Trump on Dec. 19 that he appreciated the administrations enhanced security screenings and that his state, along with Iowa and South Dakota, would continue to admit refugees.

The White House has apparently been surprised by the response from Republican governors, organizing a hasty phone call with governors offices before Thanksgiving to enhance state and local involvement in resettlement, according to the New Yorker.

Abbott has lead opposition to certain refugees

About a dozen Republican governors, including Abbott, have stayed silent about what they will decide.

Abbott has consistently lead opposition to the resettlement of some refugees.

In 2015, he vowed to block Syrians from coming to Texas because of security concerns after terrorist attacks in Paris. They had been planned in Syria, but most of the assailants held French or Belgian citizenship, though some had entered Europe as refugees.

Abbott argued that the federal government did not have adequate information to conduct proper security checks. The state was the first in the country to sue to block Syrian refugees, though the lawsuit ultimately was dismissed.

In 2016, Abbott said Texas would only accept refugees who security agencies could certify to Congress did not pose threats.

President Barack Obamas administration argued refugees are already the most vetted entrants to the United States, but that it was impossible to guarantee none could ever pose a problem.

Only a handful of the 31 states, including Texas and Kansas, ultimately pulled out of the resettlement program. Practically, it made no difference because the federal government instead contracted with local resettlement groups to disperse funding for refugees, rather than going through the state government as a middle man.

Now Abbott has the authority to block all refugees.

In Amarillo, the issue of local control over resettlement far preceded the Trump administration. In 2011, the citys then mayor, Paul Harpole, began complaining that it was home to the most refugees per capita in the nation. At its peak in 2010, about 700 refugees were settled in Amarillo, which paled in comparison to the several thousand placed annually in Houston.

Amarillos cheap cost of living, many faith-based organizations, and large meatpacking industry made it a popular location, but in the conservative city of fewer than 200,000 residents, the arrivals began drawing attention. Harpole started lobbying for greater local authority and state Sen. Ken Seliger and U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, both Republicans, pressed the State Department on it.

In response, local resettlement groups slashed how many refugees they placed in Amarillo to about 400 a year. After Trump took office, the numbers fell even more. In 2019, 136 refugees were resettled and this year, officials were only expecting several dozen.

The question has never been resettlement of refugees or immigrants who come into this country legally, Seliger said. The problem was the numbers,"

He said he expected Abbott to continue supporting resettlement.

I think the governors got no problem resettling people legally, Seliger said.

Amarillos assistant city manager, Kevin Starbuck, said officials there were waiting to see what Abbott would decide, but hoped he would give his consent.

We recognize the benefit our community gets from refugees, Starbuck said. We hope that our governor views this opportunity favorably.

Create chaos

In January, a federal judge will hear a challenge to the administrations veto requirement brought by several refugee agencies and argued by the International Refugee Assistance Project, a legal advocacy group. They contend that granting states and municipalities final word over resettlement violates a federal statute giving the executive branch near unilateral power over immigration.

In the meantime, resettlement groups such as Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston are frantically trying to obtain the local consent they need as they wait for Abbott to weigh in.

We have multiple municipalities and county officials to contact, said Betsy Ballard, the agencys spokeswoman. We are being systematic about it. All we can do is anticipate positive results.

About 2,500 refugees were resettled in Texas in the 2019 fiscal year, a 70 percent decrease from the 7,800 admitted during the last year of President Barack Obamas administration in 2016. Fewer still are expected this year even if Abbott consents.

If he does not, refugees will still be able to move to Texas on their own. The executive order cannot constrain where they are able to go. But they simply wont benefit from any services provided by resettlement organizations to ease their integration.

Krish Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a national resettlement agency, said the consent requirement would force some refugees to choose between receiving such services and federal benefits or moving where their families live.

This will create chaos in the system, and encourage secondary migration that we cannot control, she said.

lomi.kriel@chron.com

Read more:

Trump gave states power to admit refugees. As other GOP governors sign on, Abbott is silent. - Houston Chronicle