NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Music City should stay a welcoming place for refugees, Mayor Megan Barry said Tuesday.
Just days after the deadly terror attacks in Paris, Gov. Bill Haslam asked the federal government to stop sending Syrian refugees to Tennessee.
Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell called for a stop to the flow of refugees into Tennessee.
“I do believe in vigilance and abundance of caution but we have to make sure that facts and reality and not fear dictate our reaction,” Barry said Tuesday.
“I think restraining immigrants coming to this country goes against this country’s morals and intents and laws,” said Fabrice Odrago, outside the Metro Courthouse.
O’Drago moved to the U.S. from his native west-African country of Burkina Faso to go to college. He now lives in Nashville.
“This is the united states of America and this is the country of the free, and I think Nashville should welcome immigrants from other countries,” O’Drago said.
Some say in light of the Paris attacks, local governments need to be more cautious.
“Unless you can check their background and make sure they’re not Al Qaeda or Isis,” Russel Smith said.
The U.S. has one of the most intensive refugee screening processes in the world, Barry said.
“Our immigrant and refugee population in Nashville has contributed to our economic growth and also the cultural fabric that is Nashville,” Barry said.
There are 22 Syrian refugees living in Nashville right now, according to the mayor.
Barry said all refugees have to pass strict backgrounds checks that include interviews with the state department and the Department of Homeland Security.
Source: fox17
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