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U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom Cautions Against Divisive Acts Towards Muslims

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The U.S. Attorney for Kansas has released a statement criticizing efforts to bar Syrian refugees from entering the United States.

In a written statement, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom acknowledged that the Paris attacks and the one in San Bernadino have raised people’s anxieties and concerns about terrorism. He is urging Kansans not to turn against one another by letting the fight against terrorism be defined as a war between America and Islam. That, he says, is what the terrorists want.

A few weeks ago Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn described Muslims as a threat and urged residents to be prepared. Additionally, several governors, including Sam Brownback have said their states won’t participate or assist in the relocation of Syrian refugees citing that terrorists could enter the country posing as refugees.

Grissom says that we must not let fear drive us to hateful and divisive acts toward Muslims in this country. He says decisions as to the resettlement of refugees within the United States, Grissom says, are part of the federal government’s constitutional and statutory authority over immigration. He also says the Department of Justice will act to enforce hate crime laws.

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