Hutchinson says he will oppose Syrian refugees coming to Arkansas

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday that he is against Syrian refugees coming to Arkansas.

In a statement, Hutchinson said he will "oppose any facility or installation in Arkansas being used as a Syrian refugee center."

“The hardships facing these refugees and their families are beyond most of our understanding, and my thoughts and prayers are with them, but I will not support a policy that is not the best solution and that poses risk to Arkansans," he said.

Hutchinson said Europe, Asia and Africa are "logically the best places for resettlement or for temporary asylum."

The announcement comes after concern that at least one of the suicide bombers who perpetrated the terrorist attacks in Paris may have been a Syrian who got to France by way of Leros, one of the eastern Aegean islands that tens of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty have been using as a gateway into the 28-nation European Union. A Syrian passport was found at the scene.

Hutchinson's announcement also comes a day after Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said he would "oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama" and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said he would postpone efforts to accept refugees. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also halted the state's refugee program Monday.

Republican U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman later Monday also called for a temporary moratorium on the resettlement of Syrian refugees to the country.