January 2nd, 2020 by WCBC Radio

 Maryland’s governor has indicated that he’ll continue to allow refugees into the state. The Capital Gazette reports that Gov. Larry Hogan’s office released a letter on Wednesday that was sent to the Trump Administration. The letter said the state would continue to accept properly vetted refugees.

The Trump Administration had set a Jan. 21 deadline for states and cities to decide whether they would continue to allow refugees to settle within their jurisdictions.

Trump issued an executive order that required states and cities to make a decision after he cut the total number of refugees that the U.S. will accept to a historic low of 18,000. He said the federal government should only resettle refugees in places that have agreed to receive them.

“We are willing to accept refugees who the federal government has determined are properly and legally seeking refugee status and have been adequately vetted,” Hogan wrote in his letter. “This, as you know, is different from any kind of ‘sanctuary status’ for those in the United States unlawfully.”

Maryland has accepted nearly 10,000 refugees under Hogan’s leadership since 2016. But the Republican was among 31 governors who wanted to refuse Syrian refugees in 2015 out of fear of terrorism.