According to the Refugee Processing Center, 42 total refugees from Syria now call Connecticut home.
The first group of 39 made their way to the Nutmeg state during the 2015 Fiscal Year. During that time, 19 migrants ended up in new Haven, 13 in Hartford, four in West Haven and three in Bristol.
In 2016, only three refugees have been cleared to live in the United States who now live in Connecticut and all three are in New Haven.
Gov. Dannel Malloy said Monday that Connecticut would continue to accept Syrian refugees, despite backlash from many GOP governors in the US. He reiterated his logic for his reasoning Tuesday.
He said, "Women were kidnapped, sold into slavery, and impregnated, or otherwise raped. We're going to deny those folks some protection?"
Gov. Malloy described the country's resettlement process as "exhaustive" that takes between 12 and 18 months. He also challenged critics of migrants and refugees to look at the facts of who carried out attacks and what the risk is to Americans.
"Eight suspects in France. Seven of them were citizens of Belgium and France. One of them was form perhaps another country. So should we bar Frenchmen? Should we bar people from Belgium?" he said.
A petition was started online urging Gov. Malloy not to allow Syrian refugees into Connecticut. As of about 6 p.m., nearly 18,000 signatures had been collected.
Gov. Malloy said resettlement is a federal issue and said he's not going to get caught up in the "hysteria" of a false narrative about the threats of refugees.
"I just think you have a governor who's not going to tell a lie about what the law is and what the international treaties require and won't stoop to that level," he said.
