The new presidential administration has issued a series of executive orders on immigration that defy our global identity and history as a country of refuge and opportunity. The International Institute of New England is responding to these orders by supporting advocacy efforts, and all legal actions against these orders by state attorney generals and public groups, while continuing to deliver critical, life-changing services to our clients.
Rather than celebrating the newcomers that continue to build our culture and economy, the orders go well beyond addressing his stated crackdown on people unauthorized to be in the U.S. who have committed crimes, and instead seek to dismantle the processes and policies by which most of our citizens’ families became Americans. The administration’s actions do not align with the values of welcome and compassion that have defined our nation, distinguished us as a global humanitarian leader, and brought our country growth and prosperity.
These orders:
- Suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
- Restrict the ability of displaced and persecuted individuals and families to apply for asylum in the U.S., cancelling existing appointments for asylum seekers
- End efforts to reunite children and families whom the first Trump administration forcibly separated
- End humanitarian parole for those fleeing persecution and violence in Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela
- Militarize our southern border
- Aim to overturn the constitutionally enshrined law that all of us who are born in our country are its citizens
The International Institute of New England condemns these cruel and illegal actions. We stand proudly with the brave refugees, asylum seekers, and persecuted immigrants in the U.S., with their families, with all those who welcome and support them, and with those awaiting admission to the U.S. whose dreams of freedom and safety have been shattered.
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has saved millions of lives since its enactment in 1980, has bi-partisan support as a secure legal immigration pathway, and provides moral credibility to our foreign-relations work throughout the world. Refugees have experienced dire persecution, natural disasters, famine, and poverty—and many put their lives at risk by supporting U.S. troops in their home countries. Suspending the refugee resettlement program threatens our standing in the world and ability to form allies, and sets a dangerous precedent for other nations to close their doors to the more than 100 million people displaced worldwide.
Suspending the U.S. refugee resettlement program also keeps U.S. families separated—families like Hayat’s. Hayat came to the U.S. as a refugee from war-torn Somalia nine years ago and applied for her mother and her six siblings to join her. Just this past December, her mother and one of her brothers finally arrived in Massachusetts. While they have put down roots and are contributing to their new community, they long for the rest of their family, who are now waiting indefinitely in an Ethiopian refugee camp, uncertain whether they will see their family again in their lives.
The U.S. refugee resettlement program is not only a lifeline to refugee families—it is a lifeline to a strong future in a time of declining population and workforce. From 2005 to 2019, the net fiscal impact of refugees and asylees on the U.S. economy was $123.8 billion. Newly integrated Americans fill roles in critical industries, start new businesses, pay taxes, and become valued members of our communities.
As we have done for more than 100 years, the International Institute of New England will continue to honor our nation’s values by supporting refugees, asylees, and persecuted immigrants in our communities. We urge the restoration of our national commitments to the world community and to our own families and residents.
IINE is committed to supporting refugees and immigrants seeking better lives in New England. This life-changing work is only possible with your support.
