RANKING MEMBERS DURBIN, RASKIN, PADILLA, JAYAPAL STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S UNLAWFUL REFUGEE CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESS

The Trump Administration provided minimal details on a plan to abandon American values and focus solely on admitting more white-only Afrikaner refugees

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration; U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee; and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, released the following statement after a consultation on the Trump Administration’s emergency refugee admissions plan to increase the refugee cap with deputies, not Cabinet-level representatives as the law requires:

“The Trump Administration came to Capitol Hill today for a sham ‘emergency’ refugee consultation that provided minimal details. The Administration continues to betray the core purpose of asylum law: welcoming desperate men, women, and children from around the world who are trying to escape horrific violence and persecution.

“The Administration’s shameful approach to refugee resettlement is organized around prioritizing white-only Afrikaners and betraying everyone else, including thousands of Afghan allies who risked their lives for our nation, and thousands of other approved and vetted refugees twisting in the wind.

“The Administration’s approach is apparently so indefensible that Secretaries Mullin, Rubio, and Kennedy again violated federal law and completely skipped out on the consultation, dispatching deputies who could not sufficiently answer questions instead. This marks the second time no Secretary has come before Congress to brief us on the matter.

“This plan will damage our humanitarian and diplomatic efforts for generations to come, and undermines our reputation in the world. Democrats will continue to fight to restore America’s image and place as a country that welcomes the victims of persecution.”

Issues: Immigration