From Staff Reports

EAST FLAT ROCK — Refugees should be shown compassion, but only if security concerns are met first, 11th District U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows told a throng of more than 225 people during a town hall meeting Aug. 23 at Blue Ridge Community College.

Most of the attendees appeared to agree with Meadows’ assessment, as he was greeted with a hail of applause when he said, “What really concerns me right now is... there are enemies that are trying to take advantage of our generosity as a country.”

However, there appears to be a schism on concern about resettling refugees in the area, as mostly conservative Henderson County residents are raising worries, while more liberal Buncombe County seems to be more accepting of them.

Regarding the effort to bring about 150 refugees to Asheville, David Gantt, chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, said on Aug. 24 that he has heard some opposition to the effort.

Yet, the number of critical comments has been far less than the “overwhelming support” he has heard for the idea, Gantt said.

Meadows, who fielded questions read by a moderator for 75 minutes,  left immediately afterward. The questions for Meadows were written and submitted in advance by members of the audience.

The possibility that some refugees might come from Syria and commit acts of terrorism while in the United States was a major concern for Jackson County Republican Meadows — and to many audience members. Jackson is seeking re-election to a third term.

A Henderson County church decided to forego any effort to bring refugees to the county earlier this year after reports ot its plan prompted negative public reactions, one of which included unanimous approval of a resolution by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners opposing the idea. Thus, Meadows said the possibility of refugee resettlement in Henderson is moot for now.

However, Meadows noted that a proposal by the nonprofit International Rescue Committee to relocate about 150 refugees to the Asheville area remains under active consideration. The U.S. State Department will make the final call on whether the plans move forward, he said.

In stressing his opposition to refugee resettlement in the Asheville area, Meadows said he has doubts about the ability of the federal government to ensure refugees will not create security issues or tax the resources of local governments and nonprofits.

To make their concerns known, Meadows encouraged town hall attendees to contact their county commissioners and other officials, including 10th District U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-Lincoln. State government can do nothing to keep refugees from coming, Meadows said, and he offered little hope that Congress would block them.

McHenry represents most of Asheville and the southeastern portion of Buncombe County. 

Meadows’ district includes the remainder of Buncombe and most of Western North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Gantt, the commissioners’ chairman, told local news media that he had raised the issue of Asheville’s high housing costs with the International Rescue Committee, but otherwise has no particular concern with the refugee resettlement proposal — and has heard from few who do.

The Buncombe Board of commissioners “has not taken an official position because we were not asked to,” Gantt said in late August.

He added that, in his conversations with the IRC, he was told that refugees would be carefully screened. “I don’t think they slip in folks that are against the United States or against our principles,” Gantt said. “We’ve always had folks moving here... and I think the diversity is what makes us (Buncombe) a wonderful place to live.”

Conversely, Meadows asserted at the Aug. 23 meeting that it is “extremely difficult” to adequately screen refugees from a war-torn country such as Syria. The congressman said he favors a moratorium on such refugees being allowed to resettle in the U.S. until the U.S. gets a better understanding of the situation.

Meadows added that he has heard backing for the hosting of refugees in Buncombe. “Asheville is a very diverse community already,” he noted. “There (are) some who would say, you  know, that bringing other people in just adds to that diversity and that we’re all going to get along.”

However, Meadows said it would be less expensive for U.S. taxpayers — and more agreeable to many refugees — to resettle them in the regions of the world from which they originate.

Following the Aug. 23 town hall meeting, the Asheville Tea Party, a group espousing constitutional conservatism, warned its members in an email about what it termed the refugee threat.

“The Asheville area, and a 50-mile radius around it, is one of the top refugee targets in the federal and North Carolina refugee plans,” the ATP wrote. “Don’t be complacent.

“If you live in counties within a radius of 50 miles from Asheville, your community will be affected should refugee resettlement become a reality. That means districts 10 and 11! There are two of the nine refugee provides in Asheville that would like to get this program underway. Citizens like you can stop it.”

The ATP email then stressed that U.S. State Department claims that it will cover most of the costs of the refugee resettlement are misleading because “you pay federal taxes, so it’s your money. Also, state and local governments pick up most of the cost because the federal money runs out after three months.”

What’s more, the ATP contended, :”Last, but not least, these refugees pose a serious secuirty risk. FBI Director (James B.) Comey admits that they cannot be properly vetted. Think Boston, Orlando, San Bernadino, Paris, Munich and the list goes on and on. Moreover, they also bring communicable diseases and pose a health risk.”

In closing, the ATP urged its members and supporters to contact “your Buncombe County commissioners” by all means possible, as “we need an army to make the point. Do this today — and repeat.”