USA: Stand Up for Jewish Values. Stand Up for Refugees – My Comments

Dear Friend,

Seeking safety from violence and persecution is a basic human right.

Both U.S. and international law affirm this. Yet in the thick of the worst refugee crisis in recorded history, the Trump administration is capping the number of people they will admit into the United States – a wrongheaded policy that endangers asylum seekers.

The administration has a responsibility to do better. We also have a responsibility: to speak out for what our Jewish history and values tell us is right. HIAS is calling on the Trump administration to welcome refugees and asylum seekers with open arms – not closed doors. We’re counting on you to join us.

Sign the petition now to join the Jewish response to the refugee crisis by calling on the Trump administration to welcome refugees.

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In the past few years, we’ve seen children separated from their parents; asylum seekers detained in unprecedented numbers; and thousands told that “the land of the free” has no vacancies for them. These policies are a direct affront to the moral fabric of our nation and its tradition of welcoming those in need – values that HIAS is committed to upholding.

The U.S. has always welcomed refugees, and since 1980 we’ve resettled an average of nearly 80,000 refugees annually. But last year, the administration set the lowest admissions cap in the history of the U.S. resettlement program, just 30,000 people – and then, for 2020, lowered it again to just 18,000.

HIAS is dedicated to doing what this administration won’t: treating refugees with dignity, compassion and respect. But we also need to do whatever we can to reach beyond those values and inspire action.

Please, our work helping refugees and asylum seekers escape danger and violence depends on assistance from people like you. Sign the petition now to urge the administration not to turn its backs on refugees.

Thank you,

Team HIAS