Your Urgent Action Is Needed!
Tell House Leadership Not to Bring Anti-Refugee Bill to a Vote at http://capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=71311076.
Background:
In mid-March, the House Judiciary Committee approved H.R. 4731, legislation that would roll back protections for refugees seeking admission to the United States, as well as for refugees who have already been admitted to the country. As the House Leadership contemplates whether to bring this bill to the House floor for a vote, it is critical that they hear from everyone who supports refugee resettlement. We must persuade them to not bring this dangerous measure to a vote in the full House of Representatives.
Among its many detrimental provisions, H.R. 4731 would drastically reduce and cap refugee admissions and give Congress, rather than the President, the authority to set annual levels of refugee admissions; subject refugees to the possibility of continual surveillance after they have arrived; create new procedures that would significantly and potentially indefinitely delay resettlement for many refugees whose lives are in danger, including but not limited to Central Americans, Syrians and Iraqis; impose new barriers to the integration of persons admitted to the U.S. as refugees into the civic life of the country; and provide for the decentralization of refugee admissions and resettlement policy by subjecting the question of whether refugees, generally, and even specific refugees can be resettled in a state or community to the momentary vicissitudes of public opinion or the whims of a small but vocal mob.
USCCB strongly supports protection and resettlement of refugees, regardless of which of the five grounds established in U.S. and international law compel them to seek refugee status. However, H.R. 4731 seeks to elevate religious persecution above all other grounds and then seeks to favor particular religions over others for priority consideration.
Send the following email to the top two members of the House leadership TODAY and urge them to STOP this anti-refugee bill
In solidarity with the U.S. Catholic bishops, I support refugee resettlement and I urge the Speaker and Majority Leader to STOP H.R. 4731 from coming up for a vote. The bill, which was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in late March, could well decimate refugee resettlement by drastically reducing refugee admissions; changing the definition of who is a refugee; fragment refugee policy by allowing states and localities to stop resettlement to their areas; making refugees feel less secure and less welcome in American society; and discriminating against people based on their religion and nationality, among other provisions.
This bill runs counter to the humanitarian leadership of the United States and the welcome of the American people.
Please oppose H.R.4731 and do not bring this bill up for a House floor vote.
Your message will go directly to the offices of:
- Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI-1): (202) 225-0600 / @SpeakerRyan
- Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23): 202-225-4000 / @GOPLeader
Below is additional information about refugee resettlement that might be helpful:
- Refugees have fled their country of origin because of a well-founded fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, and/or political opinion.
- Today, we are facing a global refugee crisis, with more than 60 million people displaced from their homes, more than at any time since World War II. Some 20 million are refugees.
- Refugee resettlement is one of three durable solutions for refugees. Most seek voluntary repatriation whereby a person flees to a neighboring country and returns home voluntarily when a safe, dignified return is possible. Some seek local integration in the host country under similar conditions. The smallest number seek resettlement in a third country, often because the other solutions are not viable due to vulnerability or past trauma of the individual or because the refugee has family in the resettlement country.
- The U.S. is a global leader in refugee protection and resettlement, which is critical to encouraging other countries to keep their doors open to refugees fleeing persecution.
- Refugees do not choose which country they are resettled to. The U.N. refugee agency refers refugees to resettlement countries. The U.S. government screens and approves all refugees who resettle here.
- Refugees are the most thoroughly vetted people to come to the United States, undergoing rigorous security screenings by the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Department of Defense, Department of State, and National Counter Terrorism Center, including biometric checks, forensic document testing, medical screenings and in-person interviews by highly trained DHS officers.
- America has a proud heritage as an immigrant and refugee nation. Refugees resettled in the U.S. successfully support their families, pay taxes, and contribute to their new communities. They work in industries ranging from hospitality, food service, teaching, engineering, nursing and medicine, and many start their own businesses. Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, and Sergey Brin, the founder of Google, are former refugees whose accomplishments demonstrate what the U.S. has to gain from welcoming refugees.
Additional information and resources on refugee resettlement are available at:
- From USCCB/Migration and Refugee Services http://bit.ly/1SMTC
- From the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, INC. (CLINIC) http://bit.ly/1LXF9IY
Leave a Reply