In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan joined a handful of other governors in announcing that he doesn’t want to accept any more Syrian refugees into the state “until the U.S. government can provide appropriate assurances that refugees from Syria pose no threat to public safety.” A few hours later, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued a statement of her own.
Rawlings-Blake’s statement seemed like a clear riposte to the governor’s — in other words, the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between Baltimore and Governor Hogan. But despite the political theater, there’s some real truth underneath the mayor’s statement. The city has a strong history of welcoming refugees — it’s one of the cities where the International Rescue Committee helps resettle refugees fleeing violence and oppression around the globe.
It should also be noted that despite all the grandstanding on both sides, neither mayors nor governors have the legal authority to dictate immigration policy.
