In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, a spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Monday that Connecticut will continue to welcome refugees into the state who've gone through a rigorous security screening. 

At the same time, a growing list of governors across the country have threatened to stop efforts to let Syrian refugees in.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that some legal experts argue that the governors don't have legal standing to block relocation efforts.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., indicated in a prepared statement that he was not in favor of stopping the resettlement of refugees.

"I think it would be a real mistake to say that we can protect our country simply by shutting our doors on refugees from one country. The reality is that many of the attackers in Paris were European citizens, and those who want to do harm to our country have come from a variety of places across the globe," he said. "Our focus really needs to be on having a vetting process and a background checks system that is as airtight as possible for everyone. It would be misguided from a moral standpoint—and a strategic standpoint—to cut off all resettlement of Syria refugees, many of whom are women and children fleeing from the same terror and persecution we're currently combatting."

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a prepared statement that most refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. "are simply seeking to escape brutal violence and persecution."

"We need to make sure we have a strong and effective screening process to identify anyone who poses a risk to our security, but we should not ignore the humanitarian crisis that is underway," he said.

On Sunday, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, was out in his district talking to constituents. Afterwards, he called the White House "about the fact that the public really deserves a much more explicit description of how any immigration process is going to be handled because people are very concerned and I don't blame them," Courtney said by phone Monday.

His office has received email communications that the White House will be elaborating "much more" on that process.

Following the attacks on Paris, Capitol Police on Monday sent an email, a copy of which was obtained by The Day, to congressional offices saying while "there currently is no specific threat to the Capitol Complex, it will always be an appealing target."

"Out of an abundance of caution, take simple precautions, such as using the tunnels when coming to the Capitol or informing your office of your whereabouts," the email said.

The Capitol being on heightened alert is "not that unusual," Courtney said, noting that lawmakers can see increased security during times of heightened alert when they go to the Capitol to vote.

Capitol Police and D.C. police, Courtney said, "do an outstanding job of monitoring threats and keeping people safe."

As many law enforcement agencies around the country have done, Capitol Police have increased visibility "in a number of areas," according to the email, and that increased presence and visibility "is a proactive enhancement of our already heightened security posture."

Murphy echoed Courtney's comments, saying in a prepared statement that "threats to our nation's capital are not new."

"I'm confident that law enforcement and national security agencies live with this reality every day and act upon that reality when necessary," Murphy said.

Blumenthal said in a brief prepared statement, "Our nation must remain vigilant and vigorous in safeguarding security, today and every day."

j.bergman@theday.com

Twitter: @JuliaSBergman