Thursday, March 16, 2017

We Choose Welcome!

PROTECT WELCOME & RESTORE HOPE

TAKE ACTION TODAY: Tell Congress & the White House that you OPPOSE the Administration’s executive order that suspends refugee resettlement & discriminates against people from certain countries

President Trump has rewritten his executive order to ban travelers from six Muslim-majority countries for 90 days; suspend refugee resettlement for 120 days; and drastically reduce the number of refugees the United States welcomes from 110,000 to 50,000, a historic low. Make no mistake – this new order is concocted to have the same impact as the original executive order, while avoiding court proceedings.

By barring individuals from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, this rewritten executive order remains a Muslim ban. Banning refugees from all countries for 120 days will still grind refugee processing to a halt. Refugees are already the most thoroughly vetted individuals in the United States, undergoing biographic and biometric checks, medical screenings, forensic document testing, and in-person interviews. Each step of the process is time sensitive, so any pause will cause checks to expire and force refugees who have already been approved to wait months and even years to go through multiple security checks all over again, while their lives hang in the balance.

Disastrous consequences of the initial executive order are still reverberating around the world. These orders are gut-wrenching for our community members who are waiting to be reunited with a family member, and for refugees overseas with no other options for safety than to be resettled. It is critical that all Members of Congress and President Trump hear their constituents decry these announcements and declare their support for refugees from all over the world.

CALL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS TODAY!
Your Senators and Representatives: (202) 224-3121*
* Please call this line 3 times to be connected with your 1 Representative and 2 Senators
Sample Script: “I’m your constituent from [City, State], and I support refugee resettlement. I strongly oppose President Trump’s executive order against refugees – both the original and the rewritten version. The order will bar individuals from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen; grind refugee resettlement from all countries to a halt; and reduce the number of refugees we welcome to 50,000, a historic low. This is morally reprehensible and does not reflect the welcome for refugees I see in my community every day. I urge you to do everything in your power to see this executive order rescinded.”

Please also share a personal story about why refugee resettlement is important to you, your community, etc. Let them know the specific ways that refugees contribute and are welcomed into your community. You can also tweet @ your Senators/Representatives with the same message!

The best ways to make your voice heard by President Trump and the White House is by tweeting @realDonaldTrump and @WhiteHouse; posting a comment on Facebook.com/WhiteHouse; and submitting an electronic message at whitehouse.gov/contact.

Suggested Tweets:
  • .@realDonaldTrump & @WhiteHouse Don’t stop welcoming refugees. Resettlement demonstrates the best of our values #RefugeesWelcome #GreaterAs1
  • .@realDonaldTrump & @WhiteHouse Keep America welcoming. Refugee resettlement is a proud American legacy with bipartisan support #RefugeesWelcome #GreaterAs1
  • Countering ‘alternative facts’ with real ones. FACT: #Refugees are the most vetted group to enter the US. #RefugeesWelcome #GreaterAs1
  • .@RealDonaldTrump & @WhiteHouse: Today’s EO is the same unconstitutional EO we saw last month & we are still against it. #GreaterAs1 #RefugeesWelcome

Follow @CWS_global on Twitter and “like” CWS Immigration & Refugee Program on Facebook for up-to-date alerts. Join our global home base for refugee solidarity—because we are all #GreaterAs1. Please tell us if you take action (opens a new webpage)!

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