40th Anniversary of Refugee Act
Washington, DC – March 17 is the anniversary of implementation of the Refugee Act of 1980. After forty years of history and leadership in humanitarian protection, the Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. asylum and refugee programs. Faith leaders decry this deterioration of our proud tradition of offering welcome and a safe home to the world’s persecuted.
The Refugee Act of 1980 set out our modern system of refugee resettlement and asylum policy, defining who qualifies for refugee or asylum protection and how. After just three years in office, the Trump administration has cut refugee resettlement by 80% and broken the asylum system so badly that few people can gain protection.
Stephen Schneck, Executive Director of the Franciscan Action Network said: “The Trump administration has cut refugee protection by 80%, and restricted asylum so narrowly that few can make it all the way through. Due to xenophobia, they are literally stranding people in Mexico, Guatemala, and other countries and keeping them in harm’s way. Many have died, and will continue to die, because of our changes in policy. This is abhorrent and entirely against our faith values as well as our national values. Pope Francis has called time and again for wealthy countries to welcome our refugee sisters and brothers. We urge the Trump administration to see the humanity and dignity in every refugee and asylum seeker, and reverse these policies. We also urge Congress to cut funding for policies that harm migrants, and to pass the Refugee Protection Act and Asylum Seeker Protection Act without delay.”
Naomi Steinberg, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at HIAS, said: “The Refugee Act is a reminder of what positive changes legislation can make when there is a shared commitment to upholding our nation’s foundational value of being a place of refuge, and what we as a country can return to when people of all faiths and political persuasions come together to ‘welcome the stranger.’”
“The Refugee Act of 1980 was monumental in scope and heart. We should be celebrating its fortieth anniversary. Instead, we make note of something hard to miss – the absence of the refugee in America. This government should not have shut our doors over the last three years to refugees, with America welcoming only twenty percent of the average number of refugees as in the past. Remember, please, the refugees fleeing desolation and unimaginable violence,” said Lawrence E. Couch, director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
“Forty years ago, the Refugee Act became law, codifying for the first time the United States’ obligation to provide asylum and refuge for people seeking safety,” said Rachel Gore Freed, Vice President and Chief Program Officer at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. “Today, as the Act enters its fifth decade, these historic commitments are more under threat than ever, as the Trump administration continues to systematically dismantle the right to asylum at our southern border and to virtually eliminate refugee resettlement. Our world’s religions and the faithful commitments undergirding their doctrines ground us to be true to our word. As the United States goes back on its promises to protect people seeking a safe haven, we endanger the soul and substance of our country.”
Added the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Institute Leadership Team: “40 years ago, the Refugee Act paved the way for a truly modern resettlement and asylum system. Since then, immigrants and refugees have enriched our faith communities, built our cities, created thriving businesses and contributed to the economic and cultural wellbeing of this nation. Sadly, in just three years, the Trump Administration has drastically reduced and diminished the refugee resettlement program. What the President and his Administration continuously fail to understand is that we are a stronger, better America because of our immigrant and refugee sisters and brothers. We demand that the Trump Administration immediately reverse course by enacting a humane and fair asylum policy.”
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president & CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service said: “As a trusted refugee resettlement partner since the legislation’s inception, we believe it is more critical than ever that America upholds the bipartisan achievements of the Refugee Act of 1980 – signed into law by President Jimmy Carter and faithfully executed by President Ronald Reagan. Whether through the resettlement of families fleeing war and religious persecution, or key allies who have risked their lives to assist our troops abroad, America must continue to live up to the humanitarian values established by this landmark legislation. In recognizing the historic significance of the Refugee Act passed exactly 40 years ago, we must re-commit ourselves to the challenging but essential mission of welcoming the stranger for generations to come. History will only remember that America either did or did not answer the call to help those in desperate need during the most severe global refugee crisis of all time.”
Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service, stated: “Today is a bittersweet anniversary for Americans. What should be a celebration of 40-years of leadership by the United States, is instead a tragic reminder of how far the current administration has gone in removing vital protections for the world’s most vulnerable. Today, the refugee resettlement program is a shadow of what it once was and our asylum system has been turned on its head. Lady Liberty’s torch is less and less a beacon for those seeking lives free from danger, having been extinguished by white-nationalism, nativism, and xenophobia.
“Forty years ago leaders from both sides of the aisle knew that partisan rhetoric had no place when it came to compassionate global leadership. It is in that spirit that we call on Congress to return its historic commitment and fulfill the promise of the Refugee Act of 1980.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 55 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.
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