STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — A defiant Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal thumbed his nose at the feds again this week, doubling down on his order to state agencies following the Paris terror attacks not to process new benefit applications for Syrian refugees.
“First of all, they won’t tell us who they are. They won’t tell us where they are. It’s difficult for a state to do that. All they’re saying is participate in paying for them," Deal said.
Channel 2's Aaron Diamant searched federal refugee data available online and found so far this year 60 Syrian refugees have settled in metro Atlanta -- three have come since the Paris attacks.
"When our folks at the state level tell us that in talking with federal authorities, the answer they get back is there is no secure way to know what the background of these individuals happens to be," Deal said.
After the Georgia Department of Health Services stopped processing food stamp applications, the feds sent a letter warning the agency, "must accept and process the application to be in compliance with Federal law. DHS must…cease this practice immediately."
WSBTV
