In wake of Paris terror attack, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker says he's 'not interested in accepting refugees from Syria'

BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he will not accept any Syrian refugees into Massachusetts until he knows a lot more about how they would be vetted by the federal government.

 Charlie Baker

Charlie Baker

"I would say no as of right now," Baker said, speaking to reporters at the Statehouse on Monday. "I'm not interested in accepting refugees from Syria. I would need to know a lot more than I know now before I agree to do anything."

After Friday's terror attacks in Paris, in which at least one suspect allegedly came into France with Syrian refugees, a handful of U.S. states have said they will not allow any Syrian refugees into their states, if President Barack Obama lets them into the United States.

According to The Hill, governors who have made statements saying they would ban Syrian refugees include Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. All six are Republicans, and Jindal is running for president.

Baker, a Republican, did not entirely rule out accepting refugees in the future, if the federal government establishes an appropriate vetting process.

"I'm always going to be willing to at least hear what the federal government has to say. I think as a public official, that's my job," Baker said.

But Baker said he will "set the bar really high" before he agrees to allow any refugees into Massachusetts.

"My view on this is that the safety and security of the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the highest priority, so I would set the bar very high on this," Baker said.

Baker said so far, Massachusetts officials have not had any conversations with the federal government about accepting refugees.

"At this point in time, we would have to be very cautious about accepting folks without knowing a lot more about what the federal government's plan looks like and how it would actually be implemented and executed on," Baker said. "I would certainly say no until I know a lot more than I know now."

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, a Democrat, said he thinks it is too early to talk about the city's response to refugees, without knowing the details of any federal vetting process.

"Right now, it's a federal government decision, and we don't have a say in the matter today," Walsh said.

Obama has said he wants the United States to accept up to 10,000 refugees from Syria, where fighting has displaced millions of people.

Baker said Massachusetts state officials have been in ongoing conversations with national security officials to track information about security. Baker said he is not aware of any specific security threats against Massachusetts.