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Indiana, Tennessee Governors Stand Firm Against Syrian Refugees

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is being sued over his decision to block Syrian refugees from resettling in the state.

The lawsuit was filed Monday night by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on behalf of Indianapolis-based nonprofit Exodus Refugee Immigration. It accuses Pence of violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by accepting refugees from other countries but not those from Syria.

The lawsuit comes about a week after Pence objected to plans for refugees to arrive in Indiana following the deadly attacks in Paris. A family that fled war-torn Syria was diverted from Indianapolis to Connecticut on Nov. 18 when Pence ordered state agencies to halt resettlement activities.

Gov. Bill Haslam says fears about terrorists settling in Tennessee while posing as refugees from the fighting in Syria have reached new heights following the attacks in Paris.

In the Republican governor's words: "People in Tennessee are scared — maybe as scared as anything I've seen."

Haslam last week called on the federal government to halt the settlement of Syrian refugees in Tennessee unless state agencies can become involved in the vetting process. But the governor said there's been no indication so far that President Barack Obama's administration has any interest in giving states a role in background checks.

Haslam said conversations with the White House and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have allayed some of his concerns about the vetting process that can take two years to complete.