WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Leahy and Representative Lofgren are re-introducing the Refugee Protection Act along with dozens of cosponsors. This legislation would restore the refugee and asylum systems that have been gutted by the Trump administration.
“Let’s be clear: the root of these Trump policies is fear of the ‘stranger’ and white supremacy. We know that the administration’s harmful changes were not made to serve a reasonable policy objective. We have seen the series of refugee, asylum, and Muslim bans–and many other examples–discriminate against people based on where they come from or what faith they practice. This is unAmerican and wrong,” Katie Adams, Domestic Policy Advocate for the United Church of Christ and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition said.
“America is not accepting this,” said Faith Williams, Associate Director of Government Relations & Advocacy with National Council of Jewish Women and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition. “Trump, Miller, and their co-conspirators at the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security use ugly rhetoric and policies to dehumanize migrants, thinking that the public will be less likely to object to their inhumane treatment. This tactic has failed. A groundswell of Americans of all walks of life are donating time and money to assist refugees and asylum seekers–in ways that our government refuses to do. Passing the Refugee Protection Act must be Congress’s contribution.”
“God calls us to welcome the stranger through concrete actions that provide safety and security to the world’s persecuted. The Trump administration’s asylum and refugee policies are denying and dismantling basic protections for uprooted and vulnerable people,” said Reverend Amy Reumann, Director for Advocacy, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). “Passing the Refugee Protection Act would restore U.S. leadership in refugee protection and resettlement, and strengthen opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers to find safety. We applaud the original cosponsors of this legislation, and urge leadership in both the House and Senate to bring it to a vote.”
Margaret Conley, Director of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team said, “The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, committed to stand in solidarity with migrants and refugees seeking fullness of life, call on Congress to pass the Refugee Protection Act of 2019 without delay. Like millions across the country and around the world, we are shocked and saddened by the cruel and inhumane treatment migrants have received at the hands of the Trump administration. These vulnerable women, men and especially children have experienced severe trauma as they flee violence and repression in their home countries. Migrants are our sisters and brothers who must be welcomed with love and respect. The Refugee Protection Act of 2019 will go a long way in reversing the egregious abuses of the Trump administration. Congress must act now.”
Patrick Carolan, Executive Director of Franciscan Action Network said: “Our diverse faith traditions have always called on us to welcome the stranger and do what we can to offer a safe haven for the world’s most vulnerable people. By decimating the U.S. resettlement program and breaking the asylum system, the United States has turned away thousands of persecuted people and refused to provide a safe, fresh start for so many refugees. The Trump administration is not only violating man’s law–U.S. and international laws and commitments–but God’s law as well. This legislation would fix that.”
“By passing the Refugee Protection Act of 2019, Congress can reassert and recommit to America’s leadership in providing safety to people persecuted for who they are and what they believe,” said Melanie Nezer, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, HIAS. “The Refugee Protection Act offers necessary, thoughtful, and effective solutions to improve access to protection for refugees and asylum seekers, reunite families, and restore the life-saving resettlement program. Passing the Refugee Protection Act would make our country’s commitment to a compassionate, pragmatic approach to refugees and asylum seekers clear, and begin to course-correct policies that in recent years have caused needless suffering for countless asylum seekers and decimated our refugee resettlement program.”
“A ‘wall’ has been erected in the sense that migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are facing barriers impossible to cross. Trump administration policies, such as cutting refugee admissions numbers to the lowest level in history; using detention as a strategy to demoralize asylum seekers; and forcing asylum seekers to live in dangerous conditions, put lives in danger. These inhumane and harmful changes to our asylum system were made to circumvent U.S. humanitarian protections and our moral and legal obligations. The Refugee Protection Act reflects the values we hold as faithful Americans, and passing this bill would begin the process of righting these wrongs,” said Trinidad Ariztia, Program Director for Development and Migration Policy, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
“Welcoming refugees is profoundly American. We are a nation that is made stronger and more secure through a robust refugee resettlement program and asylum system. The world’s vulnerable seek refuge to rebuild lives free from fear. Resettling refugees and welcoming asylum seekers is the right thing to do, not only for the sake of these families but also for the American communities that will be revitalized and strengthened by their new neighbors,” said the Reverend John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service. “As the administration sadly abdicates its responsibility on refugee protection and resettlement, Congress is showing what true leadership looks like by introducing the Refugee Protection Act.”
“We strongly support the Refugee Protection Act’s clarification of the ‘firm resettlement’ concept in U.S. law, among its many other provisions,” said Rachel Gore Freed, Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. “This change could not be more timely or urgent, as the Trump administration begins implementing its so-called ‘safe third country’ agreement with Guatemala, deporting people to a country they barely know and that has no capacity to safely resettle them. No government should have the power to send people to places that is not their home and where their lives will be at risk.”
Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director of Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries, said: “Refugee Resettlement has provided perhaps the most successful model of public-private partnership and bi-partisan cooperation since World War II; allowing communities in both cities and small towns, and in congregations small and large, to touch and know and offer shalom to the world by welcoming the most vulnerable who have been forced to flee their homelands. The Refugee Protection Act of 2019 is a visionary blueprint which will help reverse dangerous, cruel, and family-separating changes made in recent years to U.S. refugee and asylum policies; and instead will allow us to live into God’s calling to offer leaves of hope for the healing of the nations. As our history has taught us, showing such hospitality has likewise strengthened our economy, grown our congregations, and inspired our families through powerful relationships.”
“Tragically, there are nearly 26 million refugees worldwide and fewer than 1% of them will ever be resettled to a third country. Let us not forget, refugees are more than just a global figure; they are families torn apart, children who have witnessed profound violence, and people seeking a chance to rebuild their lives and raise a family in safety. We can and should protect refugees and others fleeing violence or persecution. And for this reason, we are happy to support the Refugee Protection Act to reverse the current refugee policy by restoring the resettlement program to historic norms, making it easier for families to reunify and helping refugees integrate into their new communities,” said Lawrence E. Couch, Director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
“We are called by our faith to welcome the stranger and care for the most vulnerable, and we are challenged by our national values to offer protection to those fleeing violence and persecution. The Trump administration’s asylum and refugee policies violate that faith and threaten those values,” said Carol Zinn, SSJ, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. “Congress has a duty to stop the administration’s attacks on those forced to flee their homes and to provide protection for refugees and asylum seekers. The passage of the Refugee Protection Act of 2019 would reverse the dangerous, cruel, and immoral asylum and refugee policy changes made by the Trump administration.”
Fast Facts on Refugees
- According to the UNHCR, in 2018 there were 70.8 million displaced people in the world, including 25.9 million refugees. Fewer than 1% of refugees will ever be resettled to a third country.
- Since the program’s inception, the United States has set an average refugee admissions goal of 95,000 refugees and has resettled up to 200,000 refugees in certain years. In fiscal year 2019, the United States welcomed only 30,000 refugees; this year it is likely to be even less.
- Faith communities, local businesses, and other community groups in your state are eager to welcome refugees, as they have been doing for decades.
- Refugees give back to their new communities. They start working as soon as possible, pay taxes, start businesses, and become active members of society. They are even running for elected office–and winning.
- Communities across the country support refugees. Faith leaders, educators, business leaders, and local, state, and national elected officials, as well as thousands of community members have demonstrated welcome for refugees in every state.
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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