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State Police to alert sheriffs of refugees

8 years 4 months 1 week ago Thursday, November 19 2015 Nov 19, 2015 November 19, 2015 7:30 PM November 19, 2015 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - State Police will discuss re-settlement initiatives of Syrian refugees with local sheriffs.

In a conference call with the Louisiana Sheriff's Association Thursday, it was revealed the Fusion Center at State Police Headquarters will share information with local authorities. State officials will provide information to others as it is provided to them by federal agencies.

The sharing of information comes during a week of arguing over refugees being placed in Louisiana by Catholic Charities tied to the church in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Things became so controversial, State Police had to address concerns about the movement of refugees and death threats made in the wake of them being allowed to settle in Louisiana.

Thursday, though, State Police Col. Mike Edmonson reaffirmed there was no threat.

"There currently is no credible information to suggest a terrorist threat is imminent in the state of Louisiana," Edmonson said. "Any reports otherwise with regards to Louisiana's Syrian refugees is wrong."

Syrians are fleeing their home country by the thousands as a civil war wages. The federal government said it runs an 18-month background check on refugees before they are allowed to enter the United States. But, that has not calmed some.

"I am going on record as opposing any relocation of these Syrian refugees into Ascension Parish," Sheriff Jeff Wiley of Ascension said Wednesday.

Thursday, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office issued a press release glorifying it had successfully confirmed no Syrian refugee was living in a town there.

"It has absolutely been confirmed that there are no Syrian refugee's (sic) in Tangipahoa Parish and no unaccounted for refugees in the state of Louisiana either on a temporary or permanent basis," Sheriff Daniel Edwards' office said in a statement.

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