--- description: They were denied entry to Indiana title: Syrian Refugee Family Denied by Indiana Finds Home in Connecticut image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Immigration](/tag/immigration/) ## Immigration Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Syrian Refugee Family Denied by Indiana Finds Home in Connecticut by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 21, 2015 7:07 PM CUT by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 21, 2015 7:07 PM CUT A Syrian family that was denied entry in Indiana has now found a [welcoming home](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/21/nyregion/syrian-refugees-come-to-the-us-to-find-a-place-they-did-not-expect.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur "undefined") in New Haven, Conn. The couple, who asked to be identified only by their first initials, fled Syria in 2011, the New York _Times_ reports. After a few years in Jordan, they registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and eventually learned they’d be relocated to Indiana with their 4-year-old son. But Indiana’s governor Mike Pence said the state would not accept any more Syrian refugees, citing [fears](http://time.com/4122938/refugees-syria-america-poll/ "undefined") that some might be terrorists in the wake of recent attacks in Paris. “We felt rejected,” said the 33-year-old husband, who asked to be identified as A. “We were depressed. How could that be the freedoms that we hear about?” But with the help of nonprofit Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services, the couple made their way to Connecticut, joining seven other Syrian refugee families who’ve arrived since July. The family was greeted by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Wednesday. “You have relieved our burden,” said A. “What happened was better, because we feel very welcomed.” And despite their rejection by the Indiana governor, the family was hopeful Gov. Pence would rethink he decision. “He’s going to recognize that people come from Syria all the way here to live securely and not to commit violence,” A.’s wife told the paper. “They are escaping violence. We went through a lot, it was difficult, we went through trials and tribulations to find a future.” _Read next:_ [_Most Americans Oppose Admitting Syrian Refugees, Poll Finds_](http://time.com/4122938/refugees-syria-america-poll/ "undefined") \[[New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/21/nyregion/syrian-refugees-come-to-the-us-to-find-a-place-they-did-not-expect.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4123445/syrian-refugee-family-connecticut/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4123445/syrian-refugee-family-connecticut/"},"headline":"Syrian Refugee Family Denied by Indiana Finds Home in Connecticut","datePublished":"2015-11-21T19:07:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:49:40.192Z","description":"They were denied entry to Indiana","url":"https://time.com/4123445/syrian-refugee-family-connecticut/","keywords":["Immigration"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/immigration/","name":"Immigration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4123445/syrian-refugee-family-connecticut/","name":"Syrian Refugee Family Denied by Indiana Finds Home in Connecticut"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch Shia and Sunni Muslims Denounce ISIS in Washington DC","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/3CQHrHM0/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-11-21T21:32:14.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3CQHrHM0.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4123445/syrian-refugee-family-connecticut/","duration":"PT36S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4123445/syrian-refugee-family-connecticut/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```