A US federal court judge has dismissed a request by the US state of Texas seeking a restraining order to block the imminent entry into the state of nine Syrian refugees, saying the evidence presented was "largely speculative hearsay".
This is the second attempt by Texas to seek immediate court help to halt the refugees, with Texas saying the US government had not met its legal obligation to consult with local officials about the resettlement.
The Texas action came on Wednesday after US Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump touched off a global firestorm by saying that Muslims should be denied entry into the US.
"The (Texas) Commission has failed to show by competent evidence that any terrorists actually have infiltrated the refugee program, much less that these particular refugees are terrorists intent on causing harm," US district judge David Godbey said in his decision shortly after the action was filed on Wednesday.
The results of this case could determine whether the governors of more than 30 states will be able to go through with plans to bar the local resettlement of Syrian refugees.
A previous attempt for a temporary restraining order was dropped last week by Texas. The move came hours after the US Justice Department filed a brief at the US District Court in Dallas saying the federal government, and not the states, sets US policy on immigration.
After the November 13 attacks in Paris for which the group Islamic State claimed responsibility, Texas governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, was one of the first governors to seek to block on security grounds the resettlement of Syrians in their states.
"It is essential that a judge consider halting the Syrian refugee process, at least on a temporary basis, to ensure refugees coming to the United States will be vetted in a way that does not compromise the safety of Americans and Texans," Abbott said in a statement.
A family of eight Syrian refugees, including six children ages 6 to 15, is due to arrive in Houston on Thursday, along with a 26-year-old Syrian woman whose mother resides in the area, the Justice Department said last Friday in a court filing.
A federal judge is expected to hear a request from Texas in the next few weeks seeking an injunction to halt the resettlements.
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