The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is deeply opposed to President Trump’s announced goal for refugee admissions at just 7,500, with most admissions allocated for Afrikaners. This marks a historic departure from the United States’ longstanding nature as a country of welcome for all persecuted peoples at a moment in history when displacement worldwide reaches unprecedented levels.
“This Presidential Determination represents a deplorable shift in American history.”
Central to our Quaker witness is an unwavering commitment to the fundamental equality of every human being. The government has an indispensable role in safeguarding the dignity of each person. This conviction has welcomed refugees into American neighborhoods and communities since the Refugee Act was passed in 1980.
Since the Refugee Act’s implementation, Republican and Democratic administrations have admitted tens of thousands of refugees each fiscal year, recognizing the moral imperative of providing safe refuge for those in need along with the dramatic economic benefits of resettling refugees.
This Presidential Determination also expressly maintains the Presidential Proclamation restricting entry to the United States of foreign nationals from mostly African countries as well as the suspension of the United States Refugee Admissions Program, which abandoned tens of thousands of refugees across the globe who were approved for resettlement and had booked travel to the United States.
“This Presidential Determination represents a deplorable shift in American history. We will miss out on the vibrancy, resilience, and joy of our refugee brothers and sisters from all walks of life,” said Bridget Moix, FCNL’s General Secretary.
“A refugee admissions program that is made available primarily to Afrikaners, and remains largely suspended otherwise, is not a refugee admissions program at all. Leviticus 19:34 tells us to love the foreigner as native-born and Matthew 25:35 teaches us to welcome the stranger. We urge the President to restore the integrity of the United States Refugee Admissions Program so that the United States may once again lend its hand to those in dire need.”