Washington, DC – Leaders of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition respond to President Biden’s executive order restoring our nation’s commitment to refugee protection.
Elissa Diaz is Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) and Policy/Advocacy Manager at Church World Service, one of the non-profit organizations working with the U.S. Government to resettle and help refugees build new lives in the United States. She responded: “We are relieved, elated, and proud. For years, our communities have been saying ‘refugees welcome,’ while the U.S. government looked for every way to keep them out. Today, the America that believes we are stronger together has prevailed, and changed government policy from hate to love. This is a promising step to restore our nation’s humanitarian leadership, and we urge the administration to take additional action to increase and strengthen our capacity to welcome.”
“President Biden has stated formally and in no uncertain terms that U.S. humanitarian leadership is back,” said Melanie Nezer, HIAS’ senior vice president of public affairs. “Rebuilding the resettlement system the prior administration nearly broke won’t be easy. The refugee resettlement program must bring people to safety, protect national security, and integrate people across the country, all in a contentious political environment and during a global pandemic. Despite these challenges, the president has made clear he intends to get there. We’ll do all we can to help — and to hold the administration accountable.”
“My heart soars when I think about the families who will finally get to reunite on U.S. soil because of President Biden’s commitment today,” added Diaz. “But my heart sinks when I think about the refugee families ‘expelled’ to Haiti, Nicaragua, and Guatemala today. They never even got a chance to make an asylum claim. While all of these changes in Washington are wonderful, Trump’s policies are still being implemented at the southern border. We owe it to all refugees–and to ourselves–to center the dignity of human life every single policy. “
“Opening our doors to refugees during a global refugee crisis is the right thing to do,” said Susan Gunn, Director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. “Maryknoll missioners working in refugee camps around the world know that hundreds of thousands of refugee families have been needlessly suffering and waiting for too long in unsafe conditions for permanent places to resettle. As people of faith here in the United States, we are called to create communities of welcome. Pope Francis reminds us, refugees are our brothers and sisters and it is our duty and joy to care for them as our own.”
“Franciscan Action Network (FAN) has grieved with thousands of refugees denied safety in recent years, has advocated for them, and now rejoices as their hope is renewed with the President’s Executive Order,” states Sister Marie Lucey, Associate Director. “Refugees are extremely vulnerable women, men, and children fleeing violence or persecution seeking safety in the United States and in the past we have been blessed by resettling and assisting these sisters and brothers. We Franciscans are grateful and glad that the Refugee Welcome sign is raised again in this country.”
“This is great news for refugee families seeking safety and the countless American communities who want to welcome them. Our resettlement program should be rooted in compassion and fairness, and this order is an important first step to ensuring that it is,” said Rick Santos, President and CEO of Church World Service. “There is more to be done. The administration must now take additional action by raising the refugee resettlement goal for this year, and rebuilding this vital system at home and abroad, so the United States can return to its role as a global humanitarian leader during this crisis.”
“This is a day we have been waiting to see, a first step to restoring protections for refugees and ensuring that people who seek to live their lives in safety and dignity are able to do so here, in the United States,” said Rabbi Nora Feinstein, Director of Organizing at Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. “As Jews around the world read the story of Exodus, a story of fleeing persecution in one land and wandering to seek refuge in another, we are heartened to see this executive order. We know there is much work yet to be done as we stand with and welcome those brave souls yearning for freedom, peace, and justice.”
“As a denomination that has welcomed refugees for decades, we celebrate the news of this executive order,” said Melissa Stek, Justice Mobilization Specialist for the Christian Reformed Church in North America’s Office of Social Justice. “We are prayerfully hopeful that these policy changes are the first of many steps to rebuild our country’s commitment to welcoming the vulnerable and providing a safe haven for those seeking refuge.”
“We commend the new administration for restoring our nation’s commitment to refugees. Columbans have always welcomed migrants and refugees in many places around the world, including the US–Mexico border. As people of faith, we are called to both address the root causes of refugees seeking asylum and to welcome those fleeing the ravages of the pandemic, climate change, violence, and persecution. In his annual message on migrants and refugees, Pope Francis reminds us: ‘We are all in the same boat … No one can be saved alone.’ Especially now, in the face of so many challenges around the world, he added, we must have ‘the courage to create spaces’ to welcome refugees, and ‘new forms of hospitality, fraternity and solidarity,” said Scott Wright, Director of the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach.
For the IIC’s recommendations on restoring refugee protection in the United States, see “Interfaith Framework for Welcoming and Supporting Migrants, Immigrants, Asylum Seekers, and Refugees.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 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.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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