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Looking for a place to get away this Thanksgiving weekend?

After a few days of visiting friends in the concrete jungle of New York City, you might need a breath of fresh air. #OptOutside for Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Along the two main trails, you can see a wide variety of wildlife in the air, on the land and in the water. Ospreys and diamondback turtles are some of the most visible residents. Photo by Micael Fano (www.sharetheexperience.org).

More Than Half the Nation’s Governors Say Syrian refugees Not Welcome In 27 U.S. States

More than half the nation’s governors – 27 states – say they oppose letting Syrian refugees into their states, although the final say on this contentious immigration issue will fall to the federal government.

Among these 27 states, all but one have Republican governors.

The announcements came after authorities revealed that at least one of the suspects believed to be involved in the Paris terrorist attacks entered Europe among the current wave of Syrian refugees. He had falsely identified himself as a Syrian named Ahmad al Muhammad and was allowed to enter Greece in early October.

Some leaders say they either oppose taking in any Syrian refugees being relocated as part of a national program or asked that they be particularly scrutinized as potential security threats.

Authority over admitting refugees to the country, though, rests with the federal government – not with the states – though individual states can make the acceptance process much more difficult, experts said. American University law professor Stephen I. Vladeck put it this way: 

“Legally, states have no authority to do anything because the question of who should be allowed in this country is one that the Constitution commits to the federal government.“ 

But Vladeck noted that without the state’s participation, the federal government would have a much more arduous task.

“So a state can’t say it is legally objecting, but it can refuse to cooperate, which makes thing much more difficult.”