Syrian family in Texas feels misjudged after Paris attacks
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is doubling down on his stand against accepting Syrian refugees.
Abbott is among the first governors to stop accepting Syrian refugees, citing security concerns after the Paris attacks. As the debate rages on, Syrian refugees already in the United States are trying to adjust to a new life as best they can, reports CBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez.
Fayez and his wife Shaza - who asked not to reveal their last names - fled from Daraa, Syria to Jordan in 2013, where they applied for refugee status in the U.S.
After a two-year-process, they moved near Dallas this February and are now raising two daughters - an infant and a toddler. Fayez works at Walmart and is learning to speak English.
"I am happy because I live America," said Fayez.
But they also feel misjudged after the Paris attacks - and after Texas recently ordered volunteer organizations that help resettle refugees from Syria to "discontinue those plans immediately."
Fayez said it's impossible that any terrorist can come to America through a refugee program, which requires a six- or seven-month-long background check.
Many of the attackers in Paris were French nationals and lived in Belgium. However, one bomber had a fake Syrian passport and traveled with the waves of refugees that overwhelmed Europe in recent months.
In Texas there is another worry -- the border with Mexico. Three Syrian families arrived there last week and surrendered to immigration officials, apparently seeking asylum.
On Saturday, about a dozen people - some armed with long guns - protested in front of a mosque outside Dallas.
"We are here protesting Syrian refugees coming to America, protesting the Islamization of America," said David Wright, spokesman for the Bureau of American Islamic Relations.
When CBS News asked to spend more time with the family the next day, they declined, citing concerns over their safety.
There have also been rallies in support of refugees. While Texas' governor says the state has the authority to bar refugees, authorities in Washington say states cannot dictate federal policy.