New OPW Director Insists: "#RefugeesWelcome"
Remarks by Rev. Jimmie Ray Hawkins
January 25, 2017
church where both President Lincoln and President Eisenhower attended services– and a church with deep roots in working for justice and peace in our country and abroad.
People of faith have provided safe space and “sanctuary” in
their places of worship throughout history.
In ancient times, the Hebrew people had cities of refuge for persons
wrongfully accused of crimes. In the years before the American Civil War,
congregations provided safety for slaves fleeing the South in the Underground
Railroad. In the 1980s, more than 500 U.S. congregations provided safe houses
to Central Americans fleeing civil war but whom our government refused to
acknowledge as refugees.
Knowing that Jesus himself entered this world as a refugee,
faithful Presbyterians have been urging the welcome of refugees and demanding
higher annual admissions into the United States since the refugee crisis of
World War II.
The Presbyterian Church is present in many of the countries
from which refugees and asylum seekers are fleeing. This includes Syria and Lebanon, where we
have been present since 1823. Because we have a presence with people of faith
and communities in these countries, we understand why these refugees are
fleeing and are further committed to welcoming them.
Thousands of Presbyterians across the U.S. have personally
reached out to welcome refugees and asylum seekers. They have seen first hand the struggles and
the determination of our new neighbors to rebuild their lives in dignity. We have also seen how difficult it is to focus
on survival while worrying about family members who are still overseas waiting
for the chance to be reunited. We know that family separation impacts family
members on both sides of the ocean as those who are here must divide their
attention and their resources between establishing themselves here and helping
their loved ones stay safe.
Right now nearly 60 million people are displaced by war and
persecution; 30 million of those displaced are children. Eleven million displaced Syrians cannot go to
school, tend to their land, or raise their children in the place they know as
home. Families are risking their lives and fleeing their homes to seek safety.
They are spending months journeying, sleeping outside, paying smugglers for
safe passage, and praying for a future for their families in a place that is
safe from conflict. Our nation has
historically stood for hope and welcome for those fleeing war and persecution.
We cannot turn our back on them now.
Now is the time for the faith community and our nation to assist
the refugees and asylum seekers who are the most vulnerable population on our
planet. We cannot let the noise of a
fearful few drown out compassion and our firmly held collective values.
We stand with the American people in strong opposition to
the announcement by the president, which turns our backs on Syrian refugees and
refugees from around the world at the very time when they are most in need of
safety.
The refugee resettlement program was started by faith
communities in the United States and this announcement flies in the face of our
values as a church and as a nation. We
are called to welcome the stranger and treat the sojourner as we would our own
citizens. Our nation will be judged by
how we treat the most vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, and the refugee,
during these trying times.
Rather than follow our most base instincts of fear and
hatred, we must send a message of hope and healing, of peace and justice to
those fleeing desperate situations.
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