President Cuts Refugee Resettlement to 18,000 for FY2020
October 2, 2019
Sept. 27, 2019 – Last night, the administration which two years ago cut refugee numbers from our historic average of 95,000 refugees annually to 50,000, and last year cut resettlement numbers to 30,000, announced drastic cuts again–and further issued an executive order allowing states and localities to ban refugees.
Rev. Terri Hord Owens, Disciples General Minister and President, said:
“Reducing U.S. resettlement numbers to less than one fifth of our nation’s historic average is a moral travesty and offense to the sacred and repeated calls of our scriptures to welcome the vulnerable. Consequences upon refugee families already approved and awaiting travel are cruel. In this moment, our hearts mourn for families seeking hope, and faith partners which have been a backbone of the bi-partisan, public-private partnerships that have sustained the U.S. refugee program will not stop voicing our belief in the benefits of refugees to our communities and congregations. Today’s slammed door must be reopened, for the sake of our nation’s heritage of hospitality.”
See the Executive Order here.
Please raise your faith voice strongly in this time to protect refugees!!:
1. PREPARE A RAPID RESPONSE ACTION:
To communicate 18,000 is an unacceptably low number, please plan a public prayer and other action in your community NOW, and within the next 48 hours!. For the top ways to take rapid response action, please check out our Rapid Response toolkit: http://bit.ly/PDRapidResponseToolkit . For more information, please check out RCUSA’s compiled resources: http://bit.ly/FY20PDResponseResources.
2. CALL CONGRESS: Call House and Senate Judiciary Committee Members , who are in charge of consulting with the administration, and urge them to strongly condemn a low admissions goal and call for a robust refugee admissions goal of 95,000 in FY20. Please lift up the bipartisan letter signed by more than 360 state and local government officials and map of support for r efugees from all 50 states.
3. SHARE YOUR DISCIPLES STORY WITH REFUGEES: Fill out this brief form if you have ever resettled or helped welcome refugees—and we will follow up with how we NEED your help more than ever to help the US refugee resettlement program SURVIVE in this time!!
SHOW DISCIPLES SUPPORT FOR REFUGEES by sending your local and national leaders our Emergency Resolution passed at our recent General Assembly.
