NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Gov. Bill Haslam says fears about terrorists settling in Tennessee while posing as refugees from the fighting in Syria have reached new heights following the attacks in Paris.
In the Republican governor’s words: “People in Tennessee are scared – maybe as scared as anything I’ve seen.”
Haslam last week called on the federal government to halt the settlement of Syrian refugees in Tennessee unless state agencies can become involved in the vetting process. But the governor said there’s been no indication so far that President Barack Obama’s administration has any interest in giving states a role in background checks.
Haslam said conversations with the White House and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have allayed some of his concerns about the vetting process that can take two years to complete.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
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