Georgia’s Governor Is Overturning a Ban on Syrian Refugees

Earlier today, Nathan Deal, who is the governor of Georgia, pulled back an executive order that stopped the state’s resettling of Syrian refugees. This comes just a few days after the state’s attorney general announced that Georgia’s attempted ban wasn’t legal. By attempting to block refugees from his state, Deal was joining more than two dozen other Republican governors who issued similar orders after the tragic and deadly terrorist attacks in Paris back in November. Many, of course, will see Deal’s rescinding his order as a victory for those who want to see refugees welcomed, but his order never stopped some—like Atlanta-area mega-church Johnson Ferry Baptist, which continued settling refugees even during the governor’s ban.