Texas’s Governor Is Telling Tall Tales About Refugees

Greg Abbott of Texas has the dubious distinction of becoming the first U.S. governor to refuse formally to resettle refugees. His rationale reeks of the same cynical dishonesty that has characterized the refugee policy of President Donald Trump.

Texas has already done its share on behalf of refugees, Abbott writes in a letter to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. It’s true that, by sheer volume, Texas has resettled more refugees over the last decade than any other state — about 10% of the nationwide total. But one might expect as much from the state with the country’s second biggest population. Keep in mind that the 50,000 or so refugees it has taken in during that period amount to less than 0.2% of its 2019 population. On a per capita basis, its refugee intake doesn’t put it in the top 10 states, lagging even Maine. And one of the many details Abbott’s letter leaves out is that last year, Texas resettled only 2,500 refugees.