RCUSA Strongly Opposes U.S. Abdication of Leadership in Global Refugee Crisis
RCUSA Strongly Opposes U.S. Abdication of Leadership in Global Refugee Crisis
Urges Administration to Uphold Historical Values by Resettling at Least 75,000 Refugees in Fiscal Year 2018
Washington, DC – Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) strongly opposes the Administration’s decision to resettle the lowest number of refugees in history, calling the move nothing short of callous disdain for core U.S. values.
Today, RCUSA Chair Hans Van de Weerd released the following statement regarding the White House presidential determination on FY18 refugee resettlement in the United States:
“With the world’s refugee population at its highest in recorded history, now is not the time to abandon the U.S. resettlement program.
“RCUSA is deeply concerned that the Administration has not provided a sound rationale for its heartless decision. Its claims that the resettlement program harms national security remain unproven. Not a single refugee of the over 3 million refugees that arrived since 1980 has committed a lethal attack on U.S. soil. Our nation’s foreign and domestic policy should not be driven by a nativist and xenophobic ideology but should be based on our longstanding values of democracy, peace, and freedom that are firmly enshrined in our Constitution. Our country was built on the promise of a better future for those who sought freedom and opportunity within our borders. It is certainly not too late to return to this honorable path.”
Since the inception of the modern resettlement program in 1980, the United States has been a world leader in promoting global peace and security by providing a pathway to safety for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
RCUSA stands with countless faith leaders, security, and foreign policy experts and state and local leaders from across the country demanding that Congress to do what is right for our nation and for the world. RCUSA strongly supports a legislative approach and encourages Congress to immediately pass legislation that raises the refugee arrival ceiling to at least 75,000, ensuring that no vulnerable group or nationality is excluded based on arbitrary factors.
RCUSA likewise calls for an immediate and full resumption of refugee arrivals and urges the administration to stop placing needless barriers in the way of ensuring the U.S. provides life-saving resettlement services along with integration and self-sufficiency support to the few who will be admitted this year.
Contact: RCUSA Associate Director, Danielle Grigsby, dgrigsby@rcusa.org