COLUMBUS – Ohio plans to continue accepting refugees fleeing war, violence and persecution following an executive order from President Donald Trump allowing states to opt out of resettlement efforts.

Gov. Mike DeWine officially acknowledged Ohio's consent to receiving refugees in a Dec. 24 letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"The State of Ohio has a long and successful history of welcoming and assimilating refugees from all corners of the globe," DeWine wrote. "Ohio also has a well-developed support network to welcome and assimilate refugees, primarily led by our faith-based communities."

Trump's September executive order says Department of State officials will only place refugees in states and localities that have consented to placement. A DeWine spokesman indicated then that Ohio would accept refugees under the order.

The order has placed Republican governors in a thorny spot between immigration critics who want to stem new arrivals to the country and evangelical Christians who welcome and support refugees as an extension of their faith.

More than 30 governors have said they plan to accept refugees, according to the Associated Press. But many Republican governors, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have been silent on the matter ahead of a Jan. 21 funding deadline.

DeWine, like other GOP governors who consented to placement, noted refugees undergo a "lengthy, complex, and careful vetting process" before entering the U.S.

The Trump administration plans to scale back the number of refugees accepted in to the U.S. to a record low of 18,000 in the 2020 fiscal year. The cap was set at 30,000 for the fiscal year that ended in September.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, said last week his state will also accept refugees.

Kentucky and Ohio accepted the fifth and sixth most refugees, respectively, last year, with about 1,400 apiece. The number of refugees has decreased since Trump took office.

The refugee resettlement program is different than asylum. Refugees must demonstrate that they were "persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group."

They are eligible for federal assistance to help them become sufficient, including health care, language classes and job training.

Once placed in the U.S., refugees can move wherever they wish within the country.