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Fort Worth Mayor Asks Governor To Continue To Allow Refugees

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price
Associated Press
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price is urging Gov. Greg Abbott to continue to allow refugees to resettle in the city and state.

Price sent a letter to Abbott's office on Friday asking that the governor offer his written consent to allow refugees to continue to resettle in the city. This is in response to a new measure required under President Donald Trump's recent executive order.

In a letter dated Nov. 22, Price tells the governor: "As mayor, I've witnessed the mutually beneficial impact of resettling almost 2,600 refugees in Fort Worth since 2016, I don't want to risk fixing anything that is not broken."

Price goes on to say that if refugees are no longer permitted to resettle in the area, it could potentially hurt the economy and increase the chance that those refugees may not be reunited with their families in Texas.

In September, the Trump administration ordered that the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the U.S. be cut nearly in half, and also announced that state and local officials will have to provide written consent before accepting refugees, which allows for cities and states to easily opt out. 

A previous version of this story misspelled Mayor Betsy Price's name.