NASHVILLE - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says fellow Tennesseans are gripped by fear over concerns terrorists could slip in among Syrian refugees settled in the Volunteer State.
Haslam, who last week asked the Obama administration to "pause" resettling refugees and allow states to participate in vetting them, told the Nashville Rotary Club on Monday that "people in Tennessee are scared - maybe as scared as anything I've ever seen."
A sign welcoming Syrian refugees is placed at the entrance to the office of the Arizona governor during a rally at the Arizona Capitol on Tuesda in Phoenix. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has joined a growing number of governors calling for an immediate halt to the placement of any new refugees in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris.
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2015, file photo, people wait in line to enter the migrant and refugee registration camp in Moria, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Some Republicans are pushing back against aggressive opposition in their party to Syrian refugees resettling in the U.S., fresh evidence of a rift within the GOP that threatens to complicate the party’s outreach to minorities heading into the 2016 presidential contest. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic, File) 
FILE -- In this file photo released May 14, 2015 by a militant website, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, a member of the Islamic State group's vice police known as "Hisba," right, reads a verdict handed down by an Islamic court sentencing many they accused of adultery to lashing, in Raqqa City, Syria. Islamic State militants are barricading down for a possible assault on their de facto capital Raqqa, hiding among civilian homes and preventing anyone from fleeing, as international airstrikes intensify on the Syrian city in the wake of the Paris attacks. For many, the threat of missiles and bombs from the enemies of Islamic State is more of an immediate threat than the vicious oppression of the jihadis’ themselves. (Militant website via AP, File) The governor, who took office nearly five years ago, said he's been careful in his statements because "words matter" in such situations and that's why "we worked really hard when we put out a statement to get it right because this is a really difficult situation."
Speaking earlier to reporters, Haslam said Obama administration officials showed no interest in allowing governors to use their own resources to join in the vetting process during last week's teleconference between White House officials and governors.
"I think the White House maybe has some concerns we're going to publish the names of people," the governor said. "That's not the purpose at all. It's just so we can understand the background of who is coming. Because there's an extraordinary level of fear right now."
Asked whether the Obama administration has ruled out participation by Tennessee and other states on joining the screening process, Haslam said, "So far, they have not given any of us any encouragement along those lines."
Monday night, hundreds of Nashvillians rallied before Tennessee's state Capitol in support of Syrian refugees, a move started by Hannah Fletcher-Page with a Facebook post calling for residents to counter fears.
"This is just a group of concerned and compassionate Tennessee citizens who disagree with the current political rhetoric that says we are afraid of refugees coming to Nashville," Fletcher-Page said. " The crisis in Syria is a humanitarian one. Over 300,000 have died. Over 4 million seeking refuge. I just don't think we can ignore it."
The administration has said its screening process is sufficient to address potential threats, although FBI Director James Comey has acknowledged there are "gaps" given the chaotic situation in Syria.
Tennessee has so far only seen 42 refugees fleeing Syria's civil war between the country's President Bashar al-Assad with the Islamic State and other rebel groups seeking to overthrow the dictator.
The Syrian refugee controversy flared across the U.S. following the Islamic State's attacks in Paris on Nov. 13. But refugee advocates say there is no reason to fear Syrian refugees, noting the U.S. government carefully vets them in a process that can take 18 months to two years.
Last week, state House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada called for existing Syrian refugees to be rounded up and federal officials forced to take them elsewhere.
Casada also said the Tennessee National Guard should be activated to prevent federal officials from bringing Syrian refugees to the state.
Haslam warned last week in a statement responding to Casada's call, "Let me be clear. We must not lose ourselves in the process. If we abandon our values by completely shutting our doors to those who seek the freedom we enjoy or mistreating our neighbors who made it here after enduring unimaginable hardships, the terrorists win."
The governor told Nashville Rotarians on Monday he feels better about the vetting process than he did last week.
"To be honest with you, the more I learn about the vetting process, it is a pretty good process: 20 steps that take a year-and-a-half to two years on average," Haslam said. "People are in refugee camps that we need to address."
Last week, he spoke with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at an unrelated meeting in Birmingham, Ala. He said she told him there are some difficult issues to face. "But she also said that as a country that's worried about terror and people radicalizing in certain situations, leaving folks in refugee camps for three to five years will only exacerbate that problem," he said.
Haslam said his office received more phone calls last Monday from people expressing fear on the Syrian refugee issue than any other issue in one day during his tenure.
Last weekend, Haslam said, he "ran into people who would come up saying, 'Governor, thank you so much for saving us from those Syrian refugees.' I'd say, 'It's really not like that,' and try to explain. Others said, 'I can't believe how cold and heartless you are, that you would turn away Syrian refugees.' I'd say, 'It's really not like that, either.'"
Asked later by reporters about Casada, the governor told reporters, "I think words matter. And that's why when we put out a statement on that, we were very careful with our words. And I'm not blaming all of you all, but even the media says, 'Haslam joins X other governors in saying don't let them in.'
"Well, that's not what I said, and I think it really does matter what we say, and that we communicate that clearly," the governor added.
Challenged by reporters over what his call for a temporary halt meant, Haslam said, "I said, let's halt that until, A: our people can better understand how the vetting process, and No. 2: we can be part of the process."
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com, 615-255-0550 or follow via email at AndySher1.