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Rauner: No Syrian refugees coming to Illinois

Days after the terrorist attacks in Paris, Gov. Bruce Rauner said Monday Illinois will temporarily stop taking in Syrian refugees.

“We must find a way to balance our tradition as a state welcoming of refugees while ensuring the safety and security of our citizens,” Rauner said in a statement. “Therefore, the state of Illinois will temporarily suspend accepting new Syrian refugees and consider all of our legal options pending a full review of our country's acceptance and security processes by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”

Rauner follows several other Republican governors who have done the same, such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyderand Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

President Barack Obama said Monday the U.S. would continue to accept Syrian refugees that passed security tests.

“Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values,” he said. “Our nations can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety and ensure our own security. We can and must do both.”

The governors are making essentially symbolic statements because it's the federal government and the nine resettlement agencies it contracts with that determine whether refugees enter the U.S. and where they settle, said Melanie Nezer of HIAS, a Jewish nonprofit group that works with refugees, who also is chairwoman of Refugee Council USA in Washington.

The U.S. State Department determines how many refugees will be accepted from which countries, and Homeland Security does an extensive screening to make the final decisions about which ones are allowed in, Nezer said.

The resettlement agencies then decide the best place to place the refugees, typically where family members are already living, if medical treatment or other services are needed, and where there is capacity, she said. The federal government reimburses states for housing, education and other costs, she said.

“It's really hard to see exactly what this is other than political,” Nezer said of the governors' statements.

• Bloomberg News contributed to this report.

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Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is blocking any Syrian refugees from coming to Illinois. Associated Press File
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