Among his first wave of executive orders signed on Jan. 20, President Trump suspended the U.S. refugee program.
“As one of the 10 refugee resettlement agencies in the U.S., HIAS is dismayed at the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program,” the immigration and refugee group said. “While the suspension indicates the opportunity for case-by-case exceptions, it will place refugees waiting overseas for admission in immediate potential danger.”
“America is at its best when we welcome refugees,” said HIAS President Mark Hetfield. “We are appalled by the callousness that this administration is taking toward victims of violence and persecution. Refugee resettlement is a safe and legal pathway, it is a longstanding, bipartisan tradition, it strengthens our national security, and it brings enormous economic and cultural benefits to our communities.” HIAS is ready to work with the Trump administration to restart the program as quickly as possible and to continue to provide an orderly and secure pathway for refugees who have fled religious and other forms of persecution. “
Global Refuge, one of the nation’s oldest and largest refugee resettlement nonprofits, expressed profound concern over today’s suspension of the USRAP.
“The refugee program is not just a humanitarian lifeline through which the U.S. has shown global leadership. It represents the gold standard of legal immigration pathways in terms of security screening, community coordination, and mutual economic benefit,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Global Refuge.
She noted that refugees “undergo rigorous vetting, including multiple background checks by national security agencies, before ever setting foot on American soil. Their integration is coordinated through close collaboration between federal agencies, local stakeholders, and nonprofit organizations, including many faith-based groups, positioning them to quickly become vital contributors to their new communities. The US Refugee Admissions Program was designed and ameliorated over four decades precisely to address the concerns used to suspend it today.”
The Immigration and Refugee News Digest 