Unable to block the federal government from sending refugees to Arizona, six Republican state lawmakers want to penalize the charities that help them resettle here.



Senator Judy Burges is leading the effort. She told Capitol Media Services that she wants to "have a discussion'' about how refugees wind up in Arizona and what costs are incurred by the state.



"We have no say-so over who comes in," Burges said. "We have no say-so over how they're being vetted. We have no say-so over costs."



Burges said she believes charities should be penalized because they receive millions of dollars in federal money to administer the programs.



The measure concerns Ron Johnson who lobbies for Catholic Charities, one of the groups involved in helping refugees resettle in the state.



“Once they're here, we help them find a job, find a place to live, learn the language, all kind of good things that help them be good parts of society so they're not dependent on the government," Johnson said.



The Department of Economic Security, which operates the state Refugee Resettlement Program, reports it settled more than 4,800people in the state in the last federal fiscal year.