Court Blocks Pence’s Attempt To Ban Refugees From Indiana

A federal appeals court has blocked Indiana Gov. and Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence’s attempt to stop Syrian refugees from resettling in Indiana. The ruling comes on October 3, a day before the Vice Presidential debate.

Following the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, France, Gov. Pence joined 31 fellow governors in opposing the resettlement of Syrian refugees to their state, reports Mother Jones.

“Indiana has a long tradition of opening our arms and homes to refugees from around the world but, as governor, my first responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of all [Indiana residents],” Pence said at the time.

A refugee resettlement agency, named Exodus Refugee Immigration, then sued the state for withholding resources on grounds it claimed was discrimination. In March, a federal judge sided with the resettlement agency, noting Indiana’s actions clearly discriminates against Syrian refugees based on their national origin.”

The ruling was appealed to a higher court presided over by three Republican-appointed judges.

On October 3, the judges upheld the decision, ruling that Pence’s ban “…is the equivalent of his saying (not that he does say) that he wants to forbid black people to settle in Indiana not because they’re black but because he’s afraid of them, and since race is therefore not his motive he isn’t discriminating,” wrote Judge Richard Posner. “But that, of course, would be racial discrimination, just as his targeting Syrian refugees is discrimination on the basis of nationality.”

“The governor of Indiana believes, though without evidence, that some of these persons were sent to Syria by ISIS to engage in terrorism and now wish to infiltrate the United States in order to commit terrorist acts here,” Judge Posner added, reports the Indianapolis Star. “No evidence of this belief has been presented, however; it is a nightmare speculation.”
According to NPR, Ken Falk, legal director of the ACLU Indiana, sided with the US Appeals Court ruling, stating, “Gov. Pence may not constitutionally or legally discriminate against a particular nationality of refugees that are extensively vetted by the federal government.”

Sources: NPR, Indianapolis Star, Mother Jones / Photo Credit: Jenna Watson/Indianapolis Star