State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, says that deciding if Syrian refugees can settle in the U.S. is a federal matter, but he is urging caution for New York.

“We have an obligation to carefully assess exactly how any future refugees would be allowed into our state,” Griffo, who represents the towns of Massena, Brasher, Norfolk, Stockholm, Potsdam, Pierrepont, Russell, Clifton, Fine, and Pitcairn in St. Lawrence County, said in a public statement Tuesday.

“After carefully synchronized attacks terrorized Paris this past weekend, our nation and New York State have been confronted by serious questions concerning how we should respond to an influx of refugees searching for safety. The values and freedoms long treasured by the United States have allowed us to openly welcome people of all nationalities into our country, and the Utica area in particular shows us how culturally enriched a community can become by offering a new life of hope to immigrants and refugees,” he said in the statement.

“But we also must acknowledge that we live in a dramatically different world today, with dangers and threats not easily identified

“While at least a dozen governors from across the nation have made clear that they do not want any of these refugees settling into their state, legal precedent appears to suggest that this is a federal issue that cannot be addressed at the state level,” Griffo said.

So, he said, he is recommending “an immediate moratorium to be put in place on the admission of any new refugees from specified regions until we are assured that the process is as thorough and as stringent as it should be.

“Considering the frequent reminders of terror threats from ISIS that can strike anywhere at any time, any states that will host these new refugees have a right to be assured that their communities will not be placed at risk by a potentially flawed screening process.”

His statement continued:

“As secure and as effective as our current refugee screening process may be, our federal government has an obligation to do whatever it can to make those procedures even better. They should be reexamined and redesigned wherever necessary to address any of the concerns and fears that the citizens of our state and our nation may rightfully have.

“Finally, as we consider ways to improve the process by which we welcome those seeking to escape terror in their homelands, we need to recognize and appreciate that the threat from ISIS is much more complex, more challenging and more dangerous than some may have initially thought. Our current approach is not effective, and I believe that our nation’s leaders must take firm action to combat this global threat. It is time for our President to seek, and our Congress to authorize, a declaration of war against these identified terror groups, and then lead a global alliance with a clear and comprehensive plan of war utilizing any and all resources necessary to annihilate this nexus of evil from the face of the Earth.”