Jayapal Statement on Trump Administration’s Cuts to Refugee Admissions Goals

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) issued the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s announcement that it will slash refugee admissions to an all-time low of 18,000 for the coming fiscal year and issue an executive order permitting state and local officials to block refugee resettlement in their communities.  

“Donald Trump’s latest attacks on immigrants essentially amount to a thinly veiled refugee ban. Refugee resettlement should not be a partisan issue; indeed, in my home state of Washington, it was a Republican Governor who helped resettle tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s. According to the National Association of Evangelicals, refugee resettlement has been ‘the crown jewel of American humanitarianism,’ a manifestation of the words etched on the Statue of Liberty: ‘give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’. For decades, this has been a bipartisan value and the Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine this value and destroy these important policies are an affront to our country. Ours is a country that has always celebrated itself as a nation of immigrants, one that welcomes refugees and asylum seekers, and we must do all we can to reverse these terrible policies,” said Rep. Jayapal. 

“As vice chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, and a life-long advocate for immigrant rights, I am committed to fighting this proposal and I will continue to demand that we increase refugee admittance goals to align with our nation’s historic commitment of welcoming newcomers seeking refuge from violence and persecution,” concluded Rep. Jayapal.    

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Issues: Immigration