CLOSE The international response to the refugee crisis has been shaken by the terrorist attacks in Paris. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 
 
 Many in state are outraged, but governor says safety is a key concern after attacks in Paris. 
 
 Gov. Rick Snyder (Photo: Carlos Osorio, Associated Press) 
 
 LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder's decision to suspend efforts to bring Syrian refugees to Michigan in light of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday has sparked controversy and launched the state into the national debate of how to protect U.S. citizens while providing a haven for those who desperately need help. 
 
 Snyder's office released a statement Sunday saying the state would not be accepting any Syrian refugees until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security fully reviewed its procedures. 
 
 "Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration," Snyder said in the statement. "But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents." 
 
 More than 120 people were killed in Paris on Friday night, and hundreds more injured, in a series of suicide bombings and attacks that officials say were orchestrated by the Islamic State, a terrorist group with a stronghold in Syria. News agencies have reported that a Syrian passport found at the scene of one of the attacks matches a refugee who traveled through Greece. Now in its fifth year, the war in Syria has devastated the country, sending millions of people abroad in search of a new life. 
 
 Snyder's announcement Sunday is a step backward from recent efforts and comments from his administration offering to aid refugees. In September, Snyder said he was working with the federal government to determine the process for accepting refugees from the ongoing crisis in Syria and the Middle East. 
 
 "Isn't that part of being a good Michigander?" he asked at the time, while stressing that the refugees would have to be carefully screened to assure they were not security threats. 
 
 His reversal drew immediate and divisive reactions across the nation on Sunday, but especially in metro Detroit, home to one of the largest Middle Eastern populations in the nation. 
 
 "Good decision," state Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, posted on his Facebook page. 
 
 "We expect more from you," and "this sends the wrong message," Rashida Tlaib, a former state representative from southwest Detroit, countered on her Twitter account. 
 
 Local Arab-American leaders and refugee advocates said Sunday they understand the governor's concern about security, but argued the Department of Homeland Security already does extensive security checks before allowing any refugees into the U.S. 
 
 "The United States should be a safe haven," said Dr. Yahya Basha, a Syrian-American advocate from West Bloomfield who has family members who are refugees. He was at the White House recently to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis with U.S. officials: "We should welcome them." 
 
 Basha said he doesn't mind the scrutiny before allowing refugees in but doesn't think their arrival should be prevented. 
 
 Majed Moughni, a Dearborn attorney and Arab-American advocate, agreed, saying "it's uncalled for ... I think it's really unfair." 
 
 "It's doing what ISIS wants. ... He's just basically buying into what ISIS wants: Muslims against the West ... Gov. Snyder is buying into the rhetoric." 
 
 "I can understand being cautious, but to suspend it is wrong," Moughni said. 
 
 A spokesman for the Michigan and Ohio branch of the Department of Homeland Security referred questions about Snyder's move to the national office, which did not return an e-mail seeking comment late Sunday. 
 
 Sean de Four, vice president of child and family services with Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, said the U.S. has a moral obligation to help with what he called "a humanitarian crisis the world has not seen since World War II." 
 
 The agency has helped resettle about 1,800 to 2,000 refugees in Michigan over the past year; about 200 of them are from Syria and many others are from Iraq, another war-torn country. 
 
 "I certainly understand and appreciate Gov. Snyder's desire to be cautious and put the safety of Michiganders first," de Four said. But "the State Department already uses an overabundance of caution in its screening of refugees before they gained entry into the United States. In fact, refugees spend an average of five to seven years in refugee camps being screened and background checks before access to any country." 
 
 More Syrian refugees were expected in coming months, but Snyder's decision could bring an end to that. 
 
 "He could make it very difficult, next to impossible for refugees to come here," de Four said, pointing out that two-thirds of Syrian refugees are women and children. "It's really unfortunate." 
 
 Snyder has been known for his pro-immigrant views, in contrast to strong anti-immigrant sentiment heard on the national level in the Republican Party during the presidential race. 
 
 Two weeks ago, Snyder visited Hamtramck, which has the highest percentage of immigrants among all cities in the state, telling a crowd of Bangladeshi Americans: "I believe I'm the most pro-immigration governor in the country." 
 
 Amid criticism from some conservatives over city voters electing a Muslim-majority city council, Snyder praised the city. 
 
 Then came Friday's attack, prompting state Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland, to issue a statement Saturday night calling on Snyder to "reverse his call to relocate Syrian refugees in the state." 
 
 "We should not rush to offer an open door to the high-risk importation of individuals from a known hotbed of Islamic extremism," Glenn said, disputing assertions that the refugees can be safely vetted. 
 
 Snyder decided to halt the refugee program on Saturday, after consultation with legislative leaders, prior to Glenn's statement, spokesman Dave Murray said. 
 
 It's true that earlier efforts to bring Syrian refugees to Michigan "were contingent on proper security vetting, which is an extensive process that takes up to a year or more," Murray said. 
 
 However, "in light of the terrible situation in Paris, Gov. Snyder has asked that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security complete a full review of those security procedures and clearances." 
 
 Asked whether Syrian refugees who have been through the current vetting process and want to settle in Michigan should be prevented from doing so, Murray said he's not aware of any refugees who fit those criteria, but would check. 
 
 On Sunday, U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, issued a statement applauding Snyder: "I support Governor Snyder's decision to suspend efforts to relocate Syrian refugees to Michigan, and have cautioned against the Administration's decision to increase the number being admitted into the U.S. ... The fact is, as evidenced by Friday's horrific attack in Paris, terrorist organizations like ISIS are looking for any and every opportunity to exploit a nation's hospitality to carry out their barbaric attacks against the innocent. Anyone who says we can adequately and safely vet these refugees is wrong because there is no database in Syria and no way to identify who's who." 
 
 
 
 "America has a long, proud history of helping refugees from across the globe, and we will continue to help. However, in doing so, we must make certain that we are not jeopardizing the safety of our citizens." 
 
 Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Staff writer Todd Spangler contributed to this report. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/1NUAAxP ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 Nov. 16, 2015, 4:16 AM GMT / Updated Nov. 16, 2015, 4:10 PM GMT By Alex Johnson 
 
 No Syrian refugees have entered Alabama under federal refugee assistance rules, and Gov. Robert Bentley declared Sunday night that they never will on his watch. 
 
 Bentley cited Friday night's "attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris" in promising that he would "oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama." 
 
 "I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way," he said. 
 
 Earlier Sunday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said his state was halting efforts to accept refugees from Syria. Snyder said Michigan is "proud of our rich history of immigration" but that the state's "priority is protecting the safety of our residents," NBC Chicago reported. 
 
 The Obama administration said in September that it was willing to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year as Europe grapples with the surge of migrants from war-torn regions in the Middle East and Africa. 
 
 One of the State Department's nine domestic refugee processing centers is in Mobile, and Bentley didn't say Sunday how he would stop the federal government from relocating Syrians in his state. 
 
 Related: Officials Searching for Man Involved in Deadly Massacre 
 
 Bentley's defiant statement came only a few hours after Ben Rhodes, President Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the attacks Friday night in Paris wouldn't change U.S. policy toward patriating refugees from the bloody civil war in Syria. 
 
 Related: Follow Live: Latest Updates on Paris Attacks 
 
 "We have very expansive screening procedures for all Syrian refugees who have come to the United States," Rhodes said. "There's a very careful vetting process that includes our intelligence community, our national Counterterrorism Center [and] the Department of Homeland Security, so we can make sure that we're carefully screening anybody who comes to the United States." 
 
 Related: Rhodes: ISIS Is a 'Different Type of Terrorist Enemy' 
 
 Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, echoed Bentley's view in a separate appearance Sunday on "Meet the Press." 
 
 "There are a lot of holes, gaping holes" in the State Department's Refugee Assistance Program, said McCaul, who spoke before Bentley made his announcement. 
 
 "We don't want to be complicit with a program that could bring terrorists into the United States," he said. 
 
 But Rhodes said U.S. authorities should be more compassionate. 
 
 "We're also dealing with people who've suffered the horrors of war — women and children, orphans," Rhodes said. "We can't just shut our doors to those people." 
 
 Rhodes agreed that "we need to sort out how to focus on the terrorists that we need to keep out of the country." But he added: "I think we do need to do our part to take those refugees who are in need." ||||| More than 20 U.S. states’ governors have announced they will refuse to take in Syrian refugees following Friday evening’s deadly terrorist attacks in Paris. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said Sunday he planned to refuse the relocation. “I will not place Alabamians at even the slightest possible risk of an attack on our people,” the governor said in a statement. 
 
 Earlier Sunday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said he would suspend the acceptance of new refugees until the Department of Homeland Security “completes a full review of security clearances and procedures.” 
 
 On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote that his state will not participate in refugee relocation and urged that the president halt the U.S. program of accepting Syrian refugees. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted that he will also refuse to take refugees into his state. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Kentucky Gov.-elect Matt Bevin, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also joined the chorus. 
 
 And as The Daily Beast's Betsy Woodruff reported, New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan became the first Democratic governor to say no to refugees. ||||| 
 
 Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. (Danielle Duval/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP) 
 
 UPDATE: By Monday afternoon, seven governors across the country said they would refuse Syrian refugees. Head here for more. 
 
 The terrorist attacks in Paris have prompted two governors to announce that Syrian refugees will not be allowed to resettle in their states. 
 
 Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan and Gov. Robert Bentley of Alabama, both Republicans, issued individual statements Sunday declaring that their states would not be open to refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria. 
 
 Snyder’s statement noted Michigan’s “rich history of immigration” and said, “but our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents.” 
 
 “It’s also important to remember that these attacks are the efforts of extremists and do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world,” he said. 
 
 [Obama: Screening refugees based on religion is ‘shameful’] 
 
 Snyder had previously been working with the federal government to determine a process for accepting refugees. “Isn’t that part of being a good Michigander?” he told the Detroit Free Press in late September, pointing out the economic and humanitarian benefits of welcoming Syrians. 
 
 Snyder said those efforts would now be suspended until further evidence of more rigid security measures. 
 
 His reversal follows a statement from Michigan state Rep. Gary Glenn, also a Republican, who said Saturday that the state “should not rush to offer an open door to the high-risk importation of individuals from a known hotbed of Islamic extremism.” 
 
 [Aaron Rodgers praised for criticizing fan’s anti-Muslim comments] 
 
 Michigan is home to a sizable Middle Eastern population, and the Detroit metro area has one of the largest in the country. Earlier this month, the city of Hamtramck, Mich., elected America’s first Muslim-majority city council. 
 
 According to the Free Press, many Syrians have already settled in Michigan, where 200 have been relocated by one agency in the past year. 
 
 In Alabama, no Syrian refugees have been relocated — and none will be allowed to settle there in the future, Bentley said in his statement. 
 
 “As your Governor, I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm’s way,” he declared. “The acts of terror committed over the weekend are a tragic reminder to the world that evil exists and takes the form of terrorists who seek to destroy the basic freedoms we will always fight to preserve.” 
 
 Legally, the states have limited power to control the flow of foreigners into their states; that authority is reserved largely to the federal government under the Constitution. In early September, the Obama administration said it would at least accept 10,000 Syrian refugees during the federal government’s 2016 fiscal year. 
 
 President Obama decried the calls from some to stop accepting Syrian refugees after the attacks in Paris, saying it would be "a betrayal of our values." (AP) 
 
 At the same time, leaders in Canada and Australia have so far stood their ground on promises to welcome refugees, though they acknowledge the situation has been complicated by the Paris attacks. 
 
 An official from the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that the administration will move forward with its plans to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year. The announcement defies growing concern over the security risks of meeting such an early deadline. 
 
 Australia’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, also denied a request from a member of Parliament to renege on a plan to accept 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq. 
 
 “Australia does not need Middle Eastern refugees or Islamic boat people!” MP Andrew Fraser wrote in a public Facebook message to Dutton, the BBC reports. “Close our borders we have enough anarchists already resident in Australia.” 
 
 Dutton told Australia’s Seven Network that while additional security checks may be implemented in light of the attacks, “Australia obviously faces a very different situation than in countries in Europe that have land borders.” 
 
 Police are investigating a Syrian passport found near the spot where suicide bombers blew themselves up outside France’s national stadium. Greek authorities have traced the passport to a refugee who was among the 198 that arrived at Leros, an Aegean island, by way of a migrant boat on Oct. 3. 
 
 More from Morning Mix 
 
 ‘Mosque of Peace’ set ablaze in Canada, two others in Florida threatened as discussion of Islam heats up 
 
 Organizer: At mass resignation event, 1,500 Mormons quit church over new anti-gay-marriage policy 
 
 Outrage and little clarity in Minneapolis after black man is shot by police
– The attacks in Paris have prompted the governors of several US states to declare that Syrian refugees aren't welcome. The governors of Alabama and Michigan each issued statements Sunday to that effect, reports the Washington Post. And on Monday, the governors of Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, and New Hampshire said the same, notes the Daily Beast. The issue is resonating particularly strongly in Michigan, which already has accepted about 200 and is home to what the Detroit Free Press calls one of the biggest Mideast populations in the nation. "Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration," said Gov. Rick Snyder. "But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents." He said the state would suspend its push to bring in refugees until the Homeland Security department conducts a review of procedures in the wake of the Paris attacks. In Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley said he intends to keep the number of Syrian refugees to zero. "After full consideration of this weekend's attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris, I will oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama through the US Refugee Admissions Program," he said. "As your Governor, I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way." One of the State Department's refugee processing centers is in Alabama, and it isn't clear how Bentley plans to stop Syrians from being resettled in the state, NBC News reports. Indeed, the Post notes that states have "limited power" when it comes to the relocation of refugees, and President Obama has said the US plans to take at least 10,000 from Syria.