January
29, 2017
Dear
President Trump and Members of Congress,
As religious leaders from a variety of backgrounds, we
are called by our sacred texts and faith traditions to love our neighbor,
accompany the vulnerable, and welcome the sojourner. War, conflict and
persecution have forced people to leave their homes, creating more refugees,
asylum seekers and internally displaced people than at any other time in
history. More than 65 million people are currently displaced – the largest
number in recorded history.
This nation has an urgent moral responsibility to
receive refugees and asylum seekers who are in dire need of safety. Today, with
more than five million Syrian refugees fleeing violence and persecution and
hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, the United States has an ethical
obligation as a world leader to reduce this suffering and generously welcome
Syrian refugees into our country. We call on the Trump Administration and all
members of the U.S. Congress to demonstrate moral leadership and affirm their
support for the resettlement of refugees from all over the world to the United
States. This nation has a rich history as a leader in refugee resettlement,
with significant precedent, including after World War II and after the fall of
Saigon, when we resettled hundreds of thousands of refugees.
It is important to recognize that the United States
has the most rigorous refugee screening process in the world, involving the
Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, and National Counter Terrorism Center. The
process includes biometric checks, medical screenings, forensic testing of
documents, DNA testing for family reunification cases, and in-person interviews
with highly trained homeland security officials.
The U.S. Refugee Resettlement program has been and
should remain open to those of all nationalities and religions who face
persecution on account of the reasons enumerated under U.S. law. We oppose any
policy change that would prevent refugees from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen,
or individuals who practice Islam and other faiths from accessing the U.S.
refugee resettlement program. Proposals that would have the U.S. State
Department disqualify refugees from protection based on their nationality or
religion fly in the face of the very principles this nation was built upon,
contradict the legacy of leadership our country has historically demonstrated,
and dishonor our shared humanity.
As the United States joins the world in seeking ways
to meaningfully respond to the global refugee crisis, it is paramount that the
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program stay true to its mandate to resettle the most
vulnerable. Vulnerable individuals from a host of religions, ethnicities and
backgrounds have been and should continue to be resettled in the United States.
Together, representing our various faiths, we decry
derogatory language that has been used about Middle Eastern refugees and our
Muslim friends and neighbors. Inflammatory rhetoric has no place in our
response to this humanitarian crisis. We ask our elected officials and
candidates for office to recognize that new Americans of all faiths and
backgrounds contribute to our economy, our community, and our congregations.
Refugees are an asset to this country. They are powerful ambassadors of the
American Dream and our nation’s founding principles of equal opportunity,
religious freedom, and liberty and justice for all.
As people of faith, our values call us to welcome the
stranger, love our neighbor, and stand with the vulnerable, regardless of their
religion. We pray that in your discernment, compassion for the plight of
refugees will touch your hearts. We urge you to be bold in choosing moral, just
policies that provide refuge for vulnerable individuals seeking protection.
Sincerely,
The
Interfaith Immigration Coalition
(Over 2,000
clergy from different faith traditions have signed on to this letter including
Rev. Kurt)
No comments:
Post a Comment