When refugees became “invaders”
by digby
This is the refugee organization that bigoted monster was so angry at that he stormed a synagogue and committed mass murder this morning:
Founded in 1881 originally to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe, HIAS has touched the life of nearly every Jewish family in America and now welcomes all who have fled persecution.
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Because we have helped more than 4.5 million people escape persecution, HIAS is uniquely qualified to address the modern refugee situation, which has mushroomed into a global humanitarian crisis.We understand better than anyone that hatred, bigotry, and xenophobia must be expressly prohibited in domestic and international law and that the right of persecuted people to seek and enjoy refugee status must be maintained. And because the right to refuge is a universal human right, HIAS is now dedicated to providing welcome, safety, and freedom to refugees of all faiths and ethnicities from all over the world.
Starting in the 2000s, HIAS expanded our resettlement work to include assistance to non-Jewish refugees, meaning we became involved in the aftermath of conflicts from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Hungary, Iran, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Tunisia, Vietnam, and the successor states to the former Soviet Union. We began to work in countries where refugees fled to identify those in immediate danger to bring them to safety. We realized that there were many refugees who would not be resettled and that it was important for us to help.
We began a new chapter in 2002 when we established operations in Kenya to provide protection to refugees from several African countries plagued by conflict, to advocate on their behalf, and to resettle the most vulnerable. This was the beginning of HIAS’ work to build safe communities for refugees in the countries of first refuge where the majority now remain indefinitely.
HIAS recently celebrated 130 years of helping refugees escape persecution and resettle in safety; reuniting families who have been separated; and helping them build new lives in safety and freedom. HIAS continues to resettle the most vulnerable refugees of all faiths and ethnicities from all over the world. We facilitate the application process for the most vulnerable refugees who can be resettled in countries around the world. In the U.S. we work with local social service organizations around the country to welcome refugees and help them integrate into their communities and build new lives.
Finally, we continue to be on the front lines, working with refugees in camps and cities from Kenya to Ecuador. We are the only Jewish organization whose mission is to assist refugees wherever they are.
Our president is right this minute demonizing refugees coming to the US borders as invaders. Last week he claimed they were being paid by “globalist” George Soros. The man who committed these murders also blamed HIAS for “the invaders.”
This is all of a piece.
It used to be normal that the US would take in refugees. Donald Trump has admitted fewer refugees into this country than any year since 1977.
The Trump administration’s rationale is that limiting the number of refugees entering the country is an important component of public safety.
A report from the libertarian Cato Institute released in 2016 indicated that the risk to an American of being killed by a refugee in a terrorist attack in any given year was 1 in 3.64 billion.
Remember, one of his winning campaign promises was to send Syrian refugees back.
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