More than a dozen US states say Syrian refugees are no longer welcome due to security fears after the Paris attacks.
Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan said he was suspending the acceptance of new arrivals until after a review.
Alabama,
Texas and several other states issued similar statements but a State
Department spokesman said the legality of this action was still unclear.
President Barack Obama has urged the US to "step up and do its part" to help those fleeing the civil war.
"Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values," he said.
"Our nations can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety and ensure our own security. We can and must do both."
The governors' decisions come in the wake of the attacks in Paris which killed 129 people on Friday evening.
Seven
of the perpetrators died in the attacks, and one of them is thought to
have been a Syrian who entered Europe via Greece with migrants.
Millions
of Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries and to Europe, and the
US has promised to take about 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next 12
months.
States saying no
- Texas
- Michigan
- Louisiana
- Indiana
- Arkansas
- Alabama
- Massachusetts
- Ohio
- Arizona
- Mississippi
- Iowa
- Illinois
- N Carolina
While the state of Alabama
has not accepted any Syrian refugees so far,
the southern state's governor has said that he "will not place
Alabamians at even the slightest possible risk of an attack on our
people".
In Michigan, where it has been
reported that 200 Syrians
have been resettled in the past year, Governor Snyder has said he will
suspend the acceptance of new refugees until the US Department of
Homeland Security "completes a full review of security clearances and
procedures".
Nohemi Gonzalez, an American university student, was killed during the attacks
The decision to suspend the acceptance of refugees has drawn the ire of some working to resettle them.
"It's
vital to keep in mind those who are refugees are fleeing persecution,"
said Michael Mitchell, with the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee
Service, an organisation working to resettle refugees in the US.
NFL players ran onto the field with American and French flags during a game over the weekend
But several Republican presidential candidates have
said it would be wrong to accept any more. Business mogul Donald Trump
described it as "insane".
The three top Democratic candidates have
said they want the US to take more than 10,000 Syrian refugees but only
after extensive vetting.
On Monday it was reported that a new
video released by the so-called Islamic State celebrates the attacks and
threatens Washington, DC.
Flags on many public buildings across the US are flying at half-mast as an expression of solidarity with France.
