Texans are "stuck with no control" over the refugees coming into their state, and Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday state leaders are concerned the same situation going on in Europe will happen in the United States.
"If you think about it, what is the best way for a terrorist to get into the country?" Paxton commented on Fox News' "Fox & Friends." "It is through this type of program, where we literally know nothing about these people. Yet we don't know anything about these people because they are not in our database."
Texas has sued the federal government to try to stop refugees from being placed in the state, but federal law controls the issue, Paxton said.
"We have been stuck with no control over who is coming to our state," Paxton said. "We don't know anything about them as they come."
In addition, taxpayers in Texas are left footing the bill to care for refugees that are left in their state, Paxton said.
"This is one of the reasons our governors are pulling out of the refugee program," he added. "It doesn't stop these people for coming in. We don't want to put our stamp of approval."
He does believe, however, President-elect Donald Trump will help alleviate the situation.
"I'm encouraged and hopeful given what he talked about in the campaign," Paxton said. "He is not afraid to address it."
Earlier this fall, Paxton warned Texas will pull out of the federal refugee-resettlement program in January unless major changes were made. Approximately 6,000 refugees came to Texas in 2015 and 2016, but Texas never knew the extent of the program.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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