Small Miss. town of Louise offers to accept refugees
A small town in the Mississippi Delta says it is willing to open its doors to refugees.
The Board of Aldermen in Louise, which is located in Humphreys County, approved a resolution Nov. 17 in support of the U.S. policy to accept refugees from war-torn areas of the world.
Titled a “Resolution in support of the United States of America,” the motion does not name a specific group of refugees, but Louise Mayor Thomas Ruffin Smith said the town is open to taking Syrians.
Smith said the vote was unanimous among the alderman at the special meeting that was called to address the issue.
Referencing Christianity, the resolution partially states, “This town’s governing body fears no threat, but rather feels its Christian duty and obligation to divine providence which has led this great nation from its founding to contribute relief for these poor peoples’ needs.”
“I would like to see members of the faith community bring it up in the pulpit,” said Smith. “What does our faith teach us about what we should do?”
In the weeks following the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, several politicians have raised concerns about accepting Syrian refugees.
Much of the response is due to the possibility that one of the attackers entered Europe under the false pretense of being a refugee.
The White House has previously said it is planning for at least 10,000 Syrians in the next fiscal year.
Gov. Phil Bryant is among the group of more than two dozen governors that oppose resettling Syrian refugees in their states.
Smith said he is not worried about the resolution creating a conflict with the state.
“There’s a long history of Southern governors resisting federal policy, and history has show us it doesn’t work out well,” Smith said.
States as close as Louisiana have resettled Syrian refugees, and Smith believes there’s no way to prevent them from coming to Mississippi.
“I don’t think the resolution is going to change the outcome one way or the other,” he said.
Some residents are opposed to the resolution.
“It was premature for the mayor to come up with a resolution,” said J. Ed Henderson.
Henderson believes welcoming refuges could strain what he views as limited resources in the town of less than 200.
“Where would we house them?” he asked.
To contact Bracey Harris call (601) 961-7248 or email bharris2@gannett.com. Follow @braceyharris on Twitter.