The simple answer is that the Governor has no legal authority to prevent the Federal government from bringing Syrian refugees into Texas. Under the US Constitution, the Federal Government is responsible for all matters relating to foreign policy and immigration.Abraham wrote:When they arrive, how will the governor implement his policy?
With that said, the Federal government will need assistance from the states to support the refugees. Governor Abbott can withhold that assistance, but that will not keep the Syrian refugees out of Texas. It will only create a tit-for-tat argument where King Obama will decree with Executive Action the withholding of Federal funds from some unrelated program until Governor Abbott agrees to provide assistance to the refugees.
One thing to consider is that the vast majority (99.9+%) of the Syrian Refugees are victims running from the Syrian President's regime and ISIS / ISIL / IS (whatever the politically correct term du jour is for these terrorists). While a few bad actors may try to slip through the cracks, why not set up a refugee camps? These refugees have no place to go. So, why not set-up camps in the short-term until we can weed out the true victims from the threats. Is Gitmo a possibility? While I think these refugees need help, I am not exactly crazy about supporting them either in Texas. We already have 11 million illegals in this country that think they have some "right" to be here without the need to ask permission or follow the rules.
At least with the camps, we can provide for their immediate needs and monitor them to weed out the threats.