The
result will be to obstruct programs that cover everything from HIV
prevention to maternal and child care and epidemic disease responses,
putting lives at risk. This is just the opposite of what we ought to be
doing. It makes the world less safe, as does this weekend's Executive
order that bans refugees and Muslims. We need someone willing and able
to voice resistance and opposition to policies that flagrantly fly in
the face of everything we value--our American values. We need a
Secretary of State ready to stand up for the most vulnerable people and
speak truth to power, even when that power is the President of the
United States. The fact is, sadly, that Mr. Tillerson has never taken
strong stances on these issues, leaving us guessing as to what he will
do when and if he is in office. I cannot support anyone to be Secretary of State who fails to condemn
the suspension of our Refugee Resettlement Program directly under his
purview. When we target refugees, we target people who are victims of
the same oppressors and tyrants and murderers that we call enemies. Refugees are not our enemies. Many are fleeing the murderous Syrian
regime and ISIL, which are our enemies. We are at war with ISIL, and we
must win that war. We are disadvantaged by a policy that excludes
refugees on the basis of religion, because we alienate our allies with
the sources of intelligence and troops on the ground, and we lead to
the misimpression--and it is a misimpression--that we are at war
against Islam or our Muslim neighbors when, in fact, our enemy is
violent extremists. These refugees and immigrants see America as a beacon of hope, but
they are now receiving the message that, whoever they are and however
strong their claim to come here is, their religion will bar them, their
religion denies them the right to come to this country, their religion
will ban them. Mr. Tillerson has never denounced this strategy when it does so much
to damage our international credibility, our values at home, and our
Constitution.
Identified stereotypes
Generalizing that refugees are seen as a threat and that their religion bars them from entering the country.
Keywords matched
Refugee Refugees immigrants refugees