WESLACO - State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, announced Thursday that he sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott, asking the governor to reverse his decision on refugee resettlement.

“Out of a sense of urgency, I respectfully write to you and join the Interfaith Community in asking you to reverse the recent decision to end refugee resettlement in Texas,” Lucio wrote in the letter.

Lucio went on to say he hopes Abbott will stand with numerous local organizations that help people “forced to flee their homes in search of rebuilding a new one in a place as promising as our State.”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Sept. 26 allowing governors to stop refugee resettlement in their states. 

U.S. District Judge Petter Messitte temporarily blocked the executive order Wednesday and wrote it “does not appear to serve the overall public interest.”

As reported by the Associated Press, 39 states have said they intend to continue to allow refugees in their states – only the state of Texas said it will not.

“Texas has carried more than its share in assisting the refugee resettlement process and appreciates that other states are available to help with these efforts,” Abbott wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.