Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is asking President-elect Donald Trump to give his state more authority over how many refugees it admits from countries that are terrorism hotspots, according to a new report.
Walker thinks states and their governors are not given enough information about who potential refugees are and where they will be located, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The governor sent a letter to Trump sharing his views on the issue.
Walker wrote that Wisconsin should “have a broader role in determining how many refugees and from which countries” they are admitted from in his letter.
The governor’s letter to Trump argued the state should have that authority “until we are comfortable with the vetting process that is being utilized to screen these individuals.”
“As far as we can tell, they’re just fully integrating these individuals into the communities that they’re in, which doesn’t really fit with the definition of refugee,” Walker told the AP about his concerns.
{mosads}“We have no idea how many people may have ties to the Islamic State or to other forms of radical Islamic terrorism or jihadist groups, and I think it’s a legitimate public safety concern,” he added, referencing the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Walker, who ran against Trump in the GOP’s presidential primary, also told the AP he is “very optimistic” the president-elect will address refugees and other concerns relayed in his letter.
The report said Walker has also repeatedly spoken with Vice President-elect Mike Pence about the issues mentioned in his letter to Trump. Walker is close with the Indiana governor and helped him prepare for his vice presidential debate earlier this year.
Pence was among dozens of governors from mostly GOP states that attempted to block the resettlement of Syrian refugees following last year’s terrorist attack in Paris. The governors questioned the federal government’s vetting policies.
A federal appeals court halted Pence’s attempt at preventing social service agencies from helping resettle refugees from certain countries in Indiana, AP added.