• Isles’ high living costs limit relocation of refugees

Gov. David Ige’s office has been flooded with more than 500 phone calls and about 300 emails from constituents in response to his statements Monday that Hawaii would welcome refugees fleeing a brutal civil war in Syria.

The governor said some of the comments were supportive of his position, but he acknowledged during a news conference Tuesday afternoon that others raised concerns about public safety and how Hawaii would accommodate an influx of refugees in light of the state’s escalating homeless problem.

“I suppose in hindsight I should probably be more thoughtful about my statements. I understand that there are concerns about the safety of our communities,” he told reporters. “I was horrified by the actions taken in France last week. And I think a lot about whether that can happen in Hawaii or anywhere in the United States or the world, for that matter. I do understand that. But I also understand what happens when a community, for whatever reason, is discriminated against irresponsibly or with no basis.”

Ige recalled the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Ige stressed that the safety of Hawaii’s population is his top priority, as is addressing the state’s homeless problem.

“There is a concern that we should take care of our own before we help others, and we are,” he said. “All of our resources and efforts are really focused on the challenges here in our community. We happen to be a member of the United States and that refugee program.”

Hawaii has received only 21 refugees in the past decade, and none of them were from Syria, Ige said. “I’m not aware of any specific efforts or plans to relocate Syrians to Hawaii,” he added.

The federal government oversees the relocation of refugees.

Most of the approximately 2,000 refugees who have been sent to the United States have been placed in areas on the mainland where they have family or there is a healthy job market and low housing prices.

Ige’s initial comments on Syrian refugees were in response to national media polls on the position of governors throughout the United States. More than half of the country’s governors have come out against allowing Syrian refugees into their states, even though such authority rests with the federal government.

Republican opposition on the mainland has centered on national security issues after authorities said that one of the Paris bombers is believed to have entered France through a recent wave of refugees. But in Hawaii, opposition to Ige’s position has also centered on the state’s ongoing homeless issue.

Hundreds of comments have been posted on social media criticizing the governor for welcoming Syrian refugees when Hawaii is still grappling with providing shelter and services to thousands of homeless people.

Ige “should focus on housing the homeless first, especially our veterans,” Wil Alvarado said in a Facebook comment on a Honolulu Star-Advertiser story about Ige’s position. “Where is he going to put them? Make another homeless camp along our beaches? We can give all the aloha to paying visitors who will leave at the end of their vacations.”

The Hawaii Republican Party also released a statement Tuesday criticizing the governor’s position.

“We feel sympathy for the refugees coming from Syria and the Middle East, but Hawaii is still grappling with a homeless crisis that has yet to be resolved by our local politicians,” Hawaii GOP Chairman Fritz Rohlfing said in a statement. “Gov. Ige and Hawaii Democrats are simply wrong to agree to further burden our community’s already overtaxed social safety net with Syrian refugees we can’t handle at this time.”

Some 4 million people have fled Syria as the country’s civil war grows more violent. Last week’s attacks on Paris have intensified national debates about President Barack Obama’s policy to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the United States to 10,000 this fiscal year.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard told the Star-Advertiser that she believes there are legitimate security concerns when it comes to allowing Syrians to enter the country.

“The details of the vetting process are still coming out,” she said. “I haven’t been given all the details at this point.”

U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono released statements supportive of allowing more Syrian refugees to enter the country.

“In Hawaii we have a long tradition of welcoming people from different countries and respecting their backgrounds and their cultures,” Hirono said. “I’m proud that Gov. Ige is living up to the values of our country and our state.”

Schatz said that it “is crucial that we continue to ensure that any individual seeking refuge or asylum is thoroughly vetted and does not present a national security risk.”