FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 6, 2019
Contact: media@cwsglobal.org | 202.750.0960
Stephen Miller is bent on single-handedly changing the character of our nation
Washington, D.C. – In response to the New York Times report today that administration officials have again proposed drastically reducing and even zeroing out refugee resettlement in Fiscal Year 2020, Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service issued the following statement:
“We can not underestimate what will be lost if the U.S. is no longer a place of refuge. As senior administration officials sit in comfort in the White House playing partisan games with the life-saving refugee resettlement program, Americans are outraged that vulnerable lives will be endangered by what is being done in their name. This is not who we are or what we stand for.
“Across America, people of faith along with state and local leaders have made it clear to the administration that they want to welcome refugees. Further slashing or shutting down the resettlement program would be unfathomably cruel to the world’s most at-risk refugees and dangerous to U.S. security interests and our nation’s global standing.
“Congress must demand that the U.S. once again be a beacon of hope for refugees. Since taking office, the Trump administration has already reduced refugee admissions by 75%. Zeroing out the program would be an affront to the countless American communities that have welcomed refugees, who are valuable members of their cities and towns.
“We pray that Congress will hold the administration accountable to doing what is right and just: rejecting proposals to further cut resettlement; rebuilding and returning the program to historic norms; and ensuring this program remains standing for years to come.”
Since 1946, Church World Service has supported refugees, immigrants and other displaced individuals, in addition to providing sustainable relief and development solutions to communities that wrestle with hunger and poverty. Learn more about our work and join our global homebase for refugee solidarity at GreaterAs1.org.
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