The announcement that the refugee resettlement program for 2021 will hit an all time low of 15,000 (down from 18,000 places last year) shocks the conscience of all Americans who understand how vital it is “to welcome the stranger.”
This program should be what it once was: a robust initiative of 95,000 places for refugees.
It is refugees who have built America and enriched it in so many ways.
The Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees, with over 100 partners of many faiths and civic groups is outraged at the lack of humanity reflected in once again reducing the number of refugees who will be allowed into the US in 2021.
As the Syrian war rages on, punctuated by unrelenting suffering and misery, America let in only 193 Syrians in 2020. This underscores what an anemic program this has become.
For Syrians fleeing a brutal war, the American resettlement program means life or death. This program must not be a partisan issue. We can do better. We must do better.
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Statement by Shadi Martini, Executive Director.