Hopefully, it goes nowhere:
Refugee resettlement agencies would be held liable for refugees from “high-risk” countries who commit crimes under a bill introduced Thursday in the State Legislature.
Papillion State Sen. Bill Kintner, the bill’s sponsor, said his intent is to protect Nebraskans.
Legislative Bill 966 would require that organizations that sponsor refugees and have contracts with the government pay for the costs of prosecutions and for damages and injuries up to $25 million to victims should a refugee commit a felony.
“Which we hope they don’t,” Kintner said. “We hope they come here and embrace the American lifestyle and become great Americans.”
The bill lists 34 countries or territories — most of which are majority Muslim — as high risk, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. But Kintner said the bill is aimed at Syrian refugees, because “we have no way to vet them.”
“We don’t know anything about them,” he said. “Are they Islamic jihadists slipping in? It’s something that most Nebraskans are not willing to accept or take.”
Three private resettlement agencies — Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska and the Refugee Empowerment Center — have contracts with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to help refugees get resettled in the state.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, the state’s largest placement agency for refugees, was not available to comment.
In the wake of the Paris attacks in November, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and several other governors raised concerns about Syrian refugees, saying terrorists might use them as cover to sneak across borders.
A Syrian passport was found near the body of one of the attackers in Paris, and his fingerprints matched those of someone who passed through Greece in October. It was unclear whether the passport was authentic. Many fake Syrian passports are in circulation.
http://www.omaha.com/news/legislatu...cle_78720733-f3b7-5cf6-af37-47fbebff2a59.html
Refugee resettlement agencies would be held liable for refugees from “high-risk” countries who commit crimes under a bill introduced Thursday in the State Legislature.
Papillion State Sen. Bill Kintner, the bill’s sponsor, said his intent is to protect Nebraskans.
Legislative Bill 966 would require that organizations that sponsor refugees and have contracts with the government pay for the costs of prosecutions and for damages and injuries up to $25 million to victims should a refugee commit a felony.
“Which we hope they don’t,” Kintner said. “We hope they come here and embrace the American lifestyle and become great Americans.”
The bill lists 34 countries or territories — most of which are majority Muslim — as high risk, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. But Kintner said the bill is aimed at Syrian refugees, because “we have no way to vet them.”
“We don’t know anything about them,” he said. “Are they Islamic jihadists slipping in? It’s something that most Nebraskans are not willing to accept or take.”
Three private resettlement agencies — Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska and the Refugee Empowerment Center — have contracts with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to help refugees get resettled in the state.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, the state’s largest placement agency for refugees, was not available to comment.
In the wake of the Paris attacks in November, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and several other governors raised concerns about Syrian refugees, saying terrorists might use them as cover to sneak across borders.
A Syrian passport was found near the body of one of the attackers in Paris, and his fingerprints matched those of someone who passed through Greece in October. It was unclear whether the passport was authentic. Many fake Syrian passports are in circulation.
http://www.omaha.com/news/legislatu...cle_78720733-f3b7-5cf6-af37-47fbebff2a59.html
