From Texas Standard:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is using the violent attack on the Ohio State University campus yesterday as an example of why he removed Texas from the Refugee Relocation Process. He says in a tweet he will not "be an accomplice to importing terrorists."
This is why I removed Texas from the Refugee Relocation Process. I will not be an accomplice to importing terrorists. Refugee reform needed https://t.co/6ZadOgR6KE
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 29, 2016
The OSU student who ran a car into a crowd of people and then began a stabbing spree has been identified as a Somalian refugee, who spent some time in Dallas.
Ohio Police are still trying to determine why exactly 18-year-old Abdul Razak Ali Artan attacked a crowd on the Ohio State University campus Monday. Artan was born in Somalia but came to the United States as a refugee. He also came to Texas. Catholic Charities of Dallas CEO David Woodyard says that matches their records.
“It does appear that he is a match for our records for someone who was here with his mother and six other siblings for a total of 23 days in June of 2014,” Woodyard says.
Woodyard says Catholic Charities of Dallas provided temporary housing for Artan’s family and tried to help them assimilate into the culture and become more familiar with the English language. The resettlement group’s mission hasn’t changed – though Texas recently decided to pull out of the refugee resettlement program. This morning, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Fox & Friends that Monday’s attack underscores his concerns.
“I predicted this was going to happen,” Abbott says. “This refugee from Somalia who made the attack on Ohio State initially came into the United States to Dallas, Texas. And because I knew that refugees were coming in from terrorist-based countries, posing problems like this, I could not be an accomplice to importing terrorism into the United States of America.”
Abbott says he wants the U.S. to stop accepting refugees from countries like Somalia, Syria and Yemen – saying it leads to a higher probability of an incident like the one at OSU on Monday.
“It is insanity that the United States of America will not safeguard our people by bringing in people from terrorist-sponsored nations,” Abbott says.
David Woodyard tells KERA North Texas that position’s not sensible:
“We are very hopeful that people don’t judge the many by the actions of the one. Many crazy things happen in our world today, in our country and in our communities, and they’re happening for all different reasons from all different people – sadly, very sadly. And we’re just hopeful that people realize that and that they know that this is one person that became disturbed and affected by things and then went on to do horrific things.”
In his TV interview this morning, the Abbott also used the incident to reinforce his position on campus carry, saying that the Texas policy could help stop a violent attack like the one at Ohio State more quickly. In yesterday’s incident, OSU campus police killed Artan. Eleven were injured – one critically.
