Advertisement Does Hassan still favor a temporary pause in Syrian refugees entering the US? Governor says communication with feds has improved Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Gov. Maggie Hassan explained her current position Monday on whether she continues to believe that the federal government should impose a temporary halt on Syrian refugees entering the country.At a news conference after she filed her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, the governor said that the federal government during the past six months has improved its communications with state governments on “who is coming into the state.”But, asked several times by reporters, she did not say specifically whether she still believes there should be a pause in the program with respect to Syrians.Last November, following the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, Hassan became the only Democratic governor in the U.S. to call for a temporary ban on refugees from Syria. Her office said the pause should continue “until intelligence and defense officials can assure that the process for vetting all refugees, including those from Syria, is as strong as possible to ensure the safety of the American people.”Her November statement also noted that a governor cannot block a federally-ordered resettlement, but said that the federal government “should work closely with emergency management and safety officials from the states to ensure local safety concerns are addressed before resuming any resettlement plans.”On Monday, following a weekend published report that 170 refugees – including an unspecified number from Syria -- are heading to Manchester in 2017, Hassan was asked at her news conference if she continues to favor a temporary ban on Syrian refugees.She said, “I continue to believe that it would have been appropriate for the federal government to take that temporary pause. They chose not to. But I am pleased that as a result of my call for better communication between the states and the federal government, the communication has improved. I will continue to call out to make sure that we continue to get as much information as possible from the feds about people coming into our state.”“But I also know how important it is that all people feel welcome and included in New Hampshire and I will continue to support and speak out about any efforts to demonize any single group, which is also one of the reasons that it is so troubling that (Sen.) Kelly Ayotte is supporting Donald Trump for president, given his clear demonization of Muslims among others.”She said that since November, federal agencies “have improved communication. We now have much better information about who is coming into the state. We have had some refugees come here from Syria and we will continue to work with the federal government to keep our communication going as well as possible, and to make sure that we are both a secure and welcoming state.”Pressed to say “yes or no” if she is now for or against a temporary pause in the entrance of Syrian refugees, Hassan said, “I continue to work with the federal government to ensure that the process is safe and the communication is as good as possible.”“I certainly believe they are making progress,” Hassan said.Ayotte has not changed her position since November, a spokeswoman said. At that time, Ayotte, like Hassan, called for a temporary halt on Syrian refugees until it can be guaranteed that no refugees entering the U.S. have ties to the terrorist group ISIS.Hassan did say on Monday that she continues to oppose President Obama’s proposal to close the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention facility.