Vitter, Edwards call to stop accepting Syrian refugees

SANLIURFA, TURKEY – JUNE 17: Syrian refugees walk wait with their belongings to cross back to the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad from Turkey, at the border crossing in Akcakale, on June 17, 2015 in southeastern Turkey. Some hundreds of Syrian refugees are returning to Tal Abyad from Turkey a day after Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG fighters evicted Islamic State group fighters from the area. According to the UNHCR, the Kurdish advance caused the displacement of about 23,000 people who fled into Turkey from the fighting in the past two weeks. (Photo by Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images)

Posted: Nov 15, 2015 / 11:27 PM AST

Updated: Nov 16, 2015 / 11:07 AM AST

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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Both Republican Sen. David Vitter and Democratic State Rep. John Bel Edwards have called for Louisiana to stop accepting Syrian refugees in the wake of ISIS’ deadly attacks in Paris.

Vitter and Edwards are fighting to succeed Bobby Jindal as Louisiana governor in a run-off election Nov. 21.

“President Obama’s ‎plan to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S…. is outrageous and irresponsible,” Vitter said in a statement.

“[I]t’s imperative for us to pause the influx of refugees flowing into our state without more information on the security measures in place,” Edwards said.

A State Department spokesperson says 14 Syrians have been resettled in Louisiana since the first of the year. The U.S. will accept 10,000 refugees during the fiscal year 2016, which began Oct. 1, 2015.

The State Dept. has not responded to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s demand for answers on how the federal government is screening refugees for possible ties to ISIS. Jindal asked Friday for details about the screening process, including ‘sustained monitoring after initial placement.’

“As Americans, we embolden freedom and opportunity to the rest of the world, but by opening up our borders and refusing to collaborate or share information with states, you are threatening that reality,” Jindal said.