FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2015
CONTACT: Brandon Lee
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago
773-271-0899 x200
blee@advancingjustice-chicago.org
U.S. must stay on course to admit Syrian refugees, not cave to xenophobic fear mongering
Advancing Justice submits statement to Congress in support of admitting Syrian Refugees
WASHINGTON – Asian Americans Advancing Justice today submitted written statements to both the U.S. House Judiciary and U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committees in support of the United States admitting Syrian refugees.
The United States’ willingness to accept 10,000 new Syrian refugees, which is far fewer compared to the number other countries have admitted, is being met with brutal backlash since the attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad. Twitter feeds and news reports have blamed Syrian refugees, while governors from more than a dozen states say they won’t help resettle Syrian refugees in their states.
“These attempts to shut out Syrian refugees are based on fear and prejudice, not legitimate concerns of national security,” said President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Mee Moua, who is a political refugee herself. “Instead of viewing Syrian and other refugees as the ‘enemy,’ Americans should open their hearts and recognize that refugees are no burden, but in fact, have made and continue to make America better and stronger.”
The Advancing Justice congressional statement points out that the refugee resettlement program is already the most difficult way to enter the United States, routinely taking individuals several years to be processed. It also notes that Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian individuals face an even more “rigorous standard in terms of the United States’ immigration practices, as exhibited by the 2002 National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) program, which required only male visa-holders over the age of 16 from predominantly Arab and Muslim countries to register with local immigration offices.”
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affiliation’s members are: Advancing Justice – AAJC (Washington, D.C.), Advancing Justice – Atlanta, Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco), Advancing Justice – Chicago, and Advancing Justice – Los Angeles.