Governors Express Opposition to Syrian Refugee Resettlement

As of Monday afternoon, the Governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas had announced that they opposed the resettlement of Syrian refugees within their states. The Governors cited safety concerns following the terrorist attacks that left at least 129 dead in Paris on Friday. The comments followed a press conference held by Obama in which he emphasized the importance of the U.S. keeping its borders open to Syrian refugees. The following visualizations show which state Governors oppose the resettlement of Syrian refugees, as well as the number of asylum-seekers from Syria worldwide and specifically in the United States.