Because of the countless letters, calls, and tweets you sent to your senators, the Senate voted to block a dangerous and discriminatory anti-refugee legislation, the so-called “American SAFE Act,” from coming to the Senate floor for a vote.
Some of our biggest wins in Congress come when we can keep harmful legislation from coming to a vote. And that’s what happened here. But these wins take persistence; proponents of the legislation tried many times to push this bill through Congress.
In late November, the House voted overwhelmingly in favor of this discriminatory legislation. But public outcry — and your voices — made Senate leadership decide not to even bring it to a vote. In mid-December, some members of Congress were pushing for the inclusion of these anti-refugee provisions in a major spending package. Again, thousands across the country spoke out and these provisions were ultimately rejected. On Wednesday, the Senate blocked the SAFE Act from coming to the floor one last time. See how your senators voted, and please let them know how you feel about their vote.
Once again, thank you for all that you’re doing to ensure that the United States continues to serve as a safe haven for those fleeing violence and persecution.
Unfortunately, the U.S. still has a long way to go to live up to our heritage as a nation of refugees and immigrants. We’ll be working in the weeks and months ahead to continue to reject anti-Muslim rhetoric and other discriminatory legislation.
I hope you’ll join us.
