2016 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Foreign Policy

Robert Bentley: Sue federal government to reform Refugee Resettlement Act

The federal government's Refugee Resettlement Act has failed America and its citizens. The outdated program--which pre-dates any recent acts of radical terrorism--allows refugees from the most radical nations to enter countries including the U.S. with little known about them. Among those refugees are those who would commit the most violent, deadly and extreme acts of terrorism.

Following those attacks my administration immediately took a long hard look at the federal government's Refugee Resettlement process. What we, and dozens of other states discovered, is unsettling and alarming. In an effort to reform the Refugee Resettlement Act, my administration filed suit last month against the federal government demanding the involvement of the states in this critical program.