We are alarmed and disheartened that President Trump has signed an executive order limiting refugee admissions and restricting travel to the US from a number of countries that are predominantly Muslim. This action is in sharp conflict with American values, our history, and our humanitarian obligations.
Refugees who are fleeing violence and persecution in their own country seek safety and freedom when they arrive in United States. To turn our backs on these individuals, children, and families when they are at their most vulnerable goes against our country’s founding principles.
We do not need to choose between being a country that lives up to its values and securing our own safety. The U.S. refugee program already involves rigorous security screenings by multiple enforcement agencies before refugees are resettled in our communities, a vetting process that often spans several years.
Doing our fair share to welcome a small fraction of the world’s most vulnerable refugees to the United States not only saves lives, it also strengthens American leadership in the world. The refugee resettlement program is a vital strategic tool that allows the United States to stand in solidarity with our allies worldwide who are hosting millions of refugees. It also provides us with critical leverage to call upon other governments and the United Nations to do more to protect the vast majority of the world’s displaced who will never be resettled in a third country.
Heartland Alliance believes everyone benefits when people have an equal opportunity to safety, healing, economic opportunity, and justice. We work to ensure these rights every day, from our international work with the most at-risk refugees in places like Lebanon, to our work here at home providing health care, education, job placement services, and legal support for people fleeing violence and persecution. Heartland Alliance stands with allies and leaders throughout the country who champion human rights, with people of all religions, and with refugees around the world. We call on our neighbors, friends, and leaders to make your voice heard and urge the Trump Administration to reverse course and uphold our nation’s commitment to human rights and justice.
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