Since forging this promise, we have been a confident Nation
welcoming those of all faiths. The Executive order issued by the new
Republican President threatens these founding ideals and the very
freedoms we enjoy as Americans. It singles out Muslim refugees and
those fleeing violence in Syria, and it suspends the refugee program as
a whole. This is not the America I know. It is contrary to our values
and contrary to the example America needs to set for the world. The ongoing conflict in Syria makes clear the enormity of the
humanitarian crisis we face. The terror inflicted by both Bashar Al-
Assad's regime and ISIS has forced more than half of Syria's 23 million
people from their homes and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands
of civilians. Currently, there are more than 4.8 million registered
Syrian refugees, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and
children. Communities across the country, including some in Vermont,
started the process to welcome these refugees who have undergone years
of security screenings and vetting. Rutland, VT, is prepared to welcome
100 refugees, but to date only two families have arrived. One of these
families shared that their own children ``were exposed to a lot of
terror, and the sound of bombs and the sound of bullets and gunshots
all day long.'' This is no way to live. That is why I strongly agree
with Rutland's mayor Christopher Louras, who said accepting refugees
``is just the right thing to do from a compassionate, humanitarian
perspective.'' We must do more. There are other humanitarian crises impacting the world. Closer to
home, ruthless armed gangs in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala
continue to brutalize women and children with near impunity.
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refugee refugees