Rep. Greg Barreto (R-Cove) asked Governor Kate Brown to change her position on accepting Syrian refugees in Oregon.

Brown, a Democrat, said Monday that the state will continue to accept Syrian refugees while more than half the governors in the U.S. indicated they wanted to block those from the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

Congress voted Thursday to effectively suspend admission of Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the U.S. The legislation was approved with bipartisan support, including 47 Democrats and 252 Republicans.

Barreto, who represents District 58 including Wallowa County, wrote a letter to Brown on Friday asking the governor to “re-evalute her position on this issue” and “demand a secure and foolproof vetting process” before allowing refugees from Syria into the state.

State governors don’t have the authority to reject refugees from specific countries, but can seek to reduce state services provided to them.

“We are all extremely opposed to your position and are very concerned for the safety and security of the people in the state,” Barreto wrote, adding that while the refugees are in need of help and protection, “compassion does not trump prudence and common sense when calculating the risk.”

He states that there are ways to help without putting Oregon at risk of terror attacks like the one last Friday in Paris that killed 129 people.

Rather than continuing to accept Syrian refugees, Barreto said efforts should be made to create a process for vetting refugees who may be “on a mission to deceive and destroy.” He claimed the refugee program is “another vehicle they are using to continue their agenda of terror.”

According to the state Department of Human Services, only one Syrian refugee has settled in Oregon in the last three years.