Warren: Rochester welcomes refugees, including Syrians

As about two dozen governors moved this week to prevent people who fled Syria from coming to their states, Mayor Lovely Warren and a local resettlement agency said Monday that Rochester would continue to welcome immigrants and refugees.

No major influx of Syrian refugees is expected in Rochester. But a tiny fraction of the people who have fled a devastating four-year civil war there probably will make their way to this area through a longtime resettlement program if the U.S. holds to its pledge to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees by next fall.

Fighting among forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his opponents and Islamist militants has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced millions of others, causing a refugee crisis.

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At least 23 governors, almost all Republicans, have said they will seek to block these refugees, citing security concerns after terrorist attacks on Friday killed at least 132 people in Paris. The jihadist militant group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not appear to have taken a stance on refugees Monday.

Jim Morris, resettlement director at Catholic Family Center in Rochester, said the concerns appeared to be driven by a "knee-jerk reaction from politicians who should really know better."

All refugees go through a rigorous review process before they are allowed to come to the U.S., he said. The Syrian refugees are fleeing the same kinds of people who attacked the French, he said.

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"Refugees deserve our support and our help, and we shouldn’t allow terrorists and criminals to dictate changes to our great tradition of welcoming a stranger,” Morris said.

Catholic Family Center resettles refugees through a federal program run by the U.S. Department of State, assisting some 750 people from around the globe to make new homes in Rochester every year.

In recent years, many refugees have come to Rochester from Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), Cuba, Somalia and Iraq.

To date, the center has resettled only one Syrian family. Under federal plans, a small number of Syrian refugees likely will come to Rochester — probably no more than 50 people next year, Morris said.

Many others will likely be resettled on the West Coast, where there are larger existing Syrian communities, he said.

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Some elected officials are concerned that terrorists will exploit the refugee program, or that it cannot screen people adquately. These worries are driven in part by news that while some of the attackers were French nationals, a Syrian passport was found on or near a terrorist's body.

Evidence emerged Monday that the passport was likely a forgery.

U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, said in a statement that his first concern is the safety of his country and district.

“At this point, we cannot guarantee with 100 percent certainty that the refugees we are accepting from Syria don’t pose a threat to our community," Collins said. "Until we have a process in place that achieves that goal, I am calling on Governor Cuomo to stop plans to accept Syrian refugees.”

There are questions, however, about what power governors have over where refugees settle.

Local leaders also have little or no direct say in whether to accept refugees, nor can Catholic Family Center pick and choose whom to accept. But Mayor Warren made clear Monday that refugees continue to be welcome here.

In a statement, Warren, a Democrat, said that Rochester "has long been and continues to be a haven for immigrants and refugees from every corner of the world."

"Refugees fleeing world wars in Europe and political turmoil from across the globe have historically come to our city and region," the statement said. "They have contributed to making our community what it is today and the diversity of our community continues to be one of our city's greatest strengths.

"The Rochester community has never stopped welcoming immigrants and refugees and never should."

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Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks' office declined to comment and referred questions to Catholic Family Center.

Municipal leaders elsewhere in New York have weighed in on the controversy.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz on Monday rebuffed a county legislator's call to reject Syrian refugees, saying the decision is up to federal authorities, not him.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner stood by her decision to sign onto a letter in late September, offering to welcome more Syrian refugees.

Unlike Europe, asylum seekers from Syria are not at the U.S. border, Morris said. Syrians resettled in the U.S. will likely come through an orderly process from refugee camps, he said.

They will go through interviews and multiple sets of security checks, as well as medical screenings, Morris said. He argued that makes the refugee system an unlikely target for terrorists.

“The U.S. has resettled millions of refugees from countries all over the globe," he said. "It’s a very secure process.”

As of late September, fewer than 1,700 Syrians had resettled in the U.S., far surpassed by refugees from Iraq and Iran.

DRILEY@Gannett.com

Includes reporting by USA Today staff writers Mary Troyan and Brian Tumulty.