Hogan, Young Say Refugees Will Be Welcome In Maryland, Baltimore
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Gov. Larry Hogan said refugees will continue to be welcomed in Maryland as long as they are legally allowed in the country.
Hogan sent a letter to the Trump administration Monday in response to a September executive order from President Trump that allowed states to block refugees.
In the letter, which was sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Hogan wrote the state is "willing to accept people who are legally seeking refugee status and those that have been properly vetted."
The letter came three weeks before a deadline for states and cities to decide if they would continue allowing refugees in their jurisdictions.
Hogan is one of more than 30 governors who have agreed to welcome refugees in their states.
Local advocates said the decision is a win for Maryland.
"It sends a message to all Marylanders that our state is a state that is open to providing a compassionate, safe for individuals who are fleeing... poverty-stricken regions of the world," said Zainab Chaudry with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The president has capped the number of refugees who can legally enter the U.S. this year at 18,000, the lowest number since the resettlement program started.
Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young has also said the city will continue to welcome refugees.
