State Rep. Bill Post Asks Gov. Brown for Clarity on Syrian Refugee Relocation

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

GoLocalPDX News Team

Bill Post; via Bill Post for Oregon Facebook page

State Rep. Bill Post (R-Keizer) sent a letter to Governor Kate Brown on Monday, asking her for clarity regarding the potential relocation of Syrian refugees to Oregon.

“I am asking you, is Oregon scheduled to receive any Syrian refugees,” Post’s letter read. “If so, do you have a plan to allow those who are fleeing from religious persecution be allowed to stay, while still protecting our citizens from the possibility of a terror attack here?

In his letter, Post wrote that last week’s tragic events in Paris, which left more than 100 dead, caused him to express his concern regarding the influx of Syrian refugees.

READ POST’S FULL LETTER BELOW:

Dear Governor Brown,

In light of the tragic events in Paris last week, I am writing to express my concern regarding the influx of Syrian refugees coming to our country. Governors across the country, in Louisiana, Alabama and Texas have already said they are closing their borders to refugees. In fact, at the time of this writing, it appears that the governor of Michigan will be joining this growing list.

I strongly believe that America, and specifically Oregon, should always be a place where those seeking relief from religious persecution may come and build a new, safer life. At the sametime though, I am very concerned that if we take any and every refugee, we may expose Oregonians to acts of terrorism like Paris experienced last Friday.

I am asking you, is Oregon scheduled to receive any Syrian refugees? If so, do you have a plan to allow those who are fleeing from religious persecution be allowed to stay, while still protecting our citizens from the possibility of a terror attack here?

I would greatly appreciate an answer as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Bill Post
State Representative
District 25

Related Slideshow: Timeline of Kate Brown’s Life and Political Career

Prev Next

Childhood

Brown was born on June 21, 1960 in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain where her father was serving in the U.S. Air Force, but she grew up mostly in Minnesota.

Prev Next

Education

Brown graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.A. in Environmental Conservation. She then went on to earn a degree in environmental law from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College.

Prev Next

Law Career

Before Brown began her legislative career, she worked at Portland State University and worked as an attorney with the Juvenile Rights Project, a non profit in Portland that provides legal services to children and families.

Prev Next

House of Reps

Brown began her legislative career in 1991 in the Oregon House of Representatives where she served two terms.

Prev Next

Senate

Kate Brown was elected to the Oregon Senate in 1996 and two years later was elected Senate Democratic Leader.

Prev Next

Senate Majority Leader

In 2004 Kate Brown became the first woman to serve as Oregon's Senate Majority Leader. Brown served until July 2007 when she announced that she would give up her seat in the Oregon Senate to run for Secretary of State.

Prev Next

Secretary of State.

On May 20, 2008, Brown won the election for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State and on November 5 she won the general election by a 51-46 percent margin against Republican candidate Rick Dancer.

Prev Next

Rising Star

In 2009 the Aspen Institute named Brown as one of 24 "Rising Stars" in American politics and awarded her with a Rodel Fellowship.

Prev Next

Personal Life

Brown lives in Portland with her husband Dan Little who she has been married to for almost 20 years and is also a stepmother to two children. She identifies as bisexual and was America's first openly bisexual statewide officeholder.

Photo: Brown kissing Storm Large at Basic Rights Oregon's 27th annual Dinner Auction in 2009. Photo by Byron Beck.

Prev Next

Cut D.C. Trip Short

On Wednesday, Feb. 11 2015 Brown left is the national conference for the Association of Secretaries of State in Washington D.C. two days early.

The 2015 Winter Conference runs from February 10-13, 2015, and draws top state officials from around the country.

Brown's spokesperson, Tony Green, confirmed she is on her way back to Oregon, and that her return is ahead of schedule.

According to multiple sources at the highest level of State Government, her return is tied to a potential resignation by the embattled Governor John Kitzhaber.

Photo: Kate Brown with Peter Johnson (left) and George Vranas (right).