Stanislaus County supervisors resist tea party pressure to oppose resettlement of Syrian refugees

Stanislaus County’s Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday became a forum for impassioned arguments for and against resettlement of Syrian refugees to the county, which has a history of support for people who fled conflicts and persecution in the Middle East and southeast Asia.

Tea party members wanted county leaders to pressure California Gov. Jerry Brown to join 28 other governors that oppose President Barack Obama’s proposal to accept 10,000 refugees from Syria. But their effort failed.

County government has no jurisdiction over refugee resettlement.

“The board does not plan to do any resolutions or anything like that,” board Chairman Terry Withrow said. He added, “It was a good discussion on both sides.”

People gathered in the board chambers after word spread about the Stanislaus County tea party’s desire for a resolution. During the public comment period, more speakers wanted to accommodate Syrian refugees than those who opposed the resettlement program.

“I am pleased more are on the way,” said Paul Muncy of Modesto. “We are allowing fear of what humans may do to stand in the way of love and compassion.”

Opponents fear the wave of refugees would allow the Islamic State to plant terrorists in the United States.

“We need a better vetting system,” tea party coordinator Marie Lilly-Roberson said. “We don’t know who they are. Syria does not have the proper documentation.”

Later in the week, Withrow said the local community should “help those who need help” but “we have to balance it to protect our citizens. We will figure out a way to make it work.”

Supervisor Jim DeMartini, chairman of the Republican Central Committee of Stanislaus County, said he does not expect the local GOP to take up the issue.

“I am not concerned as long as they are vetted properly,” DeMartini said. “We have to trust that the State Department is going to look these people over.”

In the wake of the terror attacks in Paris, the Republican majority in the House opposed the president’s refugee proposal in a Nov. 19 vote. There could be enough votes to overcome a presidential veto because of the 47 Democrats who agreed with Republicans.

Refugees are resettled in Modesto by a local office of World Relief, one of nine voluntary organizations in the nation that work with the federal government’s refugee program.

World Relief helped 235 people from various countries settle in Modesto last year and expects to handle 250 cases in the current fiscal year. The group says it is working with families from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Syria and Ukraine, helping the new arrivals with housing, social services, school enrollment, transportation, language training and employment.

The Valley has a history of accepting Assyrian Christians from Iraq because of the long-established Assyrian community in Turlock. The nonprofit International Rescue Committee has an office in Turlock.

According to federal statistics, 36 of the 250 Syrian refugees resettled in California since 2012 came to Stanislaus County, 22 in Modesto and 14 in Turlock.

Lori Aderholt, director for World Relief Modesto, said the president’s proposal would open the door for Syrian refugees who have been processed for resettlement for two years. They have undergone extensive screening by the United Nations and federal agencies including the State Department, FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

“The process of screening is one of the most rigorous of any that exists for foreign nationals that enter the country,” Aderholt said. To qualify for refugee status, “they have to be fleeing their home country because of persecution or their lives are threatened because of their race, religion or nationality,” she said.

The White House released details of an eight-step screening process, starting with assessments and iris scans done by a U.N. refugee agency. The stronger candidates are referred to the federally funded Resettlement Support Center, which collects personal documents and compiles information for security checks.

Candidates are examined by the National Counterterrorism Center, FBI, Homeland Security and State Department for ties to terrorist groups, possible security risks or a history of immigration or criminal violations.

According to the White House, Homeland Security does enhanced review of Syrian applicants. Specially trained officers interview them and conduct additional questioning if a fingerprint check or other information raises concerns.

Fingerprints are screened against FBI computer files and a Homeland Security database containing a watch list and information on previous immigration encounters in the United States and overseas. Before they enter the country, refugees are subject to screening by U.S. Customs, immigration authorities and the Transportation Security Administration’s secure flight program.

Staff members with the International Rescue Committee said there is no way to predict how many of the 10,000 Syrian refugees would come to Stanislaus County. Most Syrian refugees placed in Turlock in recent years had family members in the community, the IRC said.

Family connections are a primary factor in determining where refugees are resettled.

“We should all be concerned about security, but that has always been true of refugee resettlement,” said Karen Ferguson, executive director of IRC in Northern California. “The (screening) process is intense and rigorous for refugees. Other than swimming across the Atlantic Ocean, it is the hardest way to come to the United States.”

According to the The New York Times, the United States admitted 1,850 refugees from Syria in the last three years, a small number when compared with European nations such as Germany, which took in almost 93,000. Many of those placed in the United States were religious minorities threatened in Syria, single mothers and their children, and others traumatized by violence or torture, the Times reported.

World Relief Modesto draws on support from churches and volunteers who help refugees adjust to their new environment.

Aderholt said their efforts are for people like Reza Moallem, who arrived this month from Afghanistan, another country where the Islamic State has become active. Moallem came to Modesto with his wife, Shamsia, and their 19-month-old son.

Moallem, an engineer, worked for a contractor that built prisons and military bases in Afghanistan for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Afghan national army. He said that, based on threatening phone calls, he believes the Taliban found out about his work. A nephew was captured and held by Taliban rebels until freed by an Afghan army operation, he said.

The family was part of the Hazara ethnic community in Afghanistan, a Shia Muslim minority that is targeted by Islamic State militants trying to expand a foothold in that country. ISIS militants abducted 53 members of the Hazara community this year, beheading seven of them including a 9-year-old girl, Moallem said.

His family was granted a special immigration visa to come to Modesto, where Moallem has a friend. The engineer said he hopes to enter a doctoral program and teach at the college level.

The tea party’s Lilly-Roberson said they don’t want to close the door on foreign nationals who have assisted with the war on terrorism.

“That is a whole different story,” she said. “The difference is our government wants to bring in a large number of (Syrian) refugees and we don’t know where they are coming from. What we are saying is: Hold off a bit until we get a better vetting system.”

Aderholt said the World Relief office has received more calls from people wanting to volunteer or help refugees since last week’s debate before the Board of Supervisors.

“There is a tremendous amount of fear,” Aderholt said. “We are working with people who have fled from horrific situations. I think what we need to do is show our love as a nation.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Stanislaus County supervisors resist tea party pressure to oppose resettlement of Syrian refugees."