Washington, DC – This morning, the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship and House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a much-needed oversight hearing on the Trump administration’s Muslim and refugee bans.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) roundly condemns the so-called Muslim and refugee bans this administration has attempted to put in place since January 2017. Earlier this year, over 200 faith leaders and nearly 100 faith-based organizations sent a letter to Congress calling for passage of the No Ban Act, a first step toward addressing some of these policies, stating:
We are called by our sacred texts and faith principles to love our neighbor, accompany the vulnerable, and welcome the sojourner…. Together, the Muslim ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries, asylum ban that wrongfully and illegally blocks people who cross between ports of entry from applying for asylum, and refugee ban that seeks to dismantle the resettlement program deny vulnerable families their fundamental right to safety, condemn them to return to unfathomable danger, and prolong family separation. To restrict thousands of people based on discrimination forsakes our nation’s ideals of compassion, hospitality, and welcome.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering another cut to refugee admissions for Fiscal Year 2020 and has cancelled flights for some refugees set to arrive in October. As Church World Service points out, there are still refugees who remain separated from close relatives due to the initial Muslim and refugee ban in 2017. CWS describes the stories of Kibrom Beyene Tsegearegawi of Eritrea and Afkab Hussein of Somalia, two men who were separated from their wives and/or children during the refugee resettlement process, for what was supposed to be a temporary wait. These families remain continents apart today due to the administration’s inhumane refugee and Muslim ban.
The New York Times reported two stories of young Muslim refugees separated from their loved ones in this stirring article that also featuring leaders from Bethany Christian Services. One of the young men profiled in the article states: “I’m afraid my mom and dad will die before I can touch them again.”
This, in plain and painful speech, is why the Muslim and refugee ban must not stand.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 53 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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