Pence stands by request that Catholic Church not resettle Syrian family in Indiana

WASHINGTON — Gov. Mike Pence maintained his request Wednesday that the Catholic Church not bring a family of Syrian refugees into Indiana next week, while also telling federal lawmakers that there have been misconceptions about the actions he has taken to block the refugees.

After meeting privately with Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin and his staff, Pence told The Associated Press that he can't make an exception to his request that no Syrian refugees move to Indiana until he's satisfied that the vetting process can stop potential terrorists.

“There are significant gaps in our ability to know precisely what we need to know about everyone coming into this country,” he said.

Tobin told The Associated Press he would “give serious consideration to what (Pence) said." He declined to offer details on the conversation but said there was “no blood on the floor.”

Archdiocese spokesman Greg Otolski said before the meeting that Tobin and the Catholic Charities staff hoped to answer any questions the governor had about the refugee screening process. The church has received private offers of assistance to make up for the benefits Pence does not want the state to provide but has not decided whether to bring the family in over the governor's objections.

“My first consideration is not to objectify the family and make them an object of notoriety,” Tobin told the AP. “They are human beings. … Our desire is to respect human beings.”

Pence’s order that the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration no longer assist with the settlement of Syrian refugees came after reports that one of the perpetrators of the Paris terrorist attacks might have gotten to France by posing as a refugee from Syria.

Although a majority of governors have raised similar concerns about accepting Syrian refugees, Pence has been in the national spotlight because a family that was supposed to settle in Indiana last month was redirected to Connecticut. In addition, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana recently sued Pence on behalf of Exodus Refugee Immigration, the resettlement group that was supposed to receive the family.

In a letter to the state's congressional delegation Wednesday, Pence wrote that Indiana “has specifically received heightened attention on this issue, and there have been misconceptions regarding the action Indiana has taken.”

Pence said he hasn’t permanently halted — but only suspended — Indiana’s participation in the Syrian refugee program. And Indiana is still accepting refugees from other countries.

In a letter sent to states last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement pointed out that the Refugee Act of 1980 requires states to provide assistance to refugees without regard to nationality. And the Civil Rights Act prohibits states from denying federally funded benefits such as Medicaid or cash welfare assistance to eligible refugees.

An HHS spokesman, however, declined to say Wednesday whether the administration thinks Pence’s actions violate those laws.

Also Wednesday, Indianapolis-based Exodus Refugee Immigration requested a temporary hold on Pence’s order. In a federal court filing, the organization said Pence’s action would “frustrate and thwart” its mission of helping refugees and that it would be difficult to make up the lost government funding.

States are given federal funding to distribute to refugees, including money for housing, food stamps and refugee Medicaid, which they receive for eight months.

A judge is scheduled to talk Monday with attorneys from both sides to set a hearing on the group’s request for a temporary injunction.

Pence asked Indiana’s lawmakers to pause the Syrian refugee program and pass legislation to strengthen the screening process.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson have told governors they have “tremendous faith” in the refugee-vetting system. But Pence says the administration hasn’t addressed the fact that Johnson and FBI Director James Comey have said they have less information about refugees from Syria than those from Iraq.

Pence has backed House-passed legislation to add steps to the screening process, including having the director of national intelligence and the heads of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security personally certify that each applicant is not a security threat.

The White House has said the legislation would add significant delays and obstacles for refugees without providing meaningful additional security for Americans.

Politico reported Wednesday that some Republicans also are expressing concerns about that bill and are focusing instead on tightening the visa waiver program that allows travelers from 38 countries to visit the United States without advance approval for up to 90 days.

Pence said strengthening the visa waiver program would be welcome.

“But ultimately,” Pence wrote, “any legislation that is passed must directly address the concerns raised about the Syrian refugee program so that going forward the citizens of our state and the country can be confident that it will not be abused by ISIS to bring harm to America.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Email Star Washington Bureau reporter Maureen Groppe at mgroppe@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @mgroppe.