Blog
Published on June 21, 2011
The United States’ proud history of providing refuge to victims of religious, political, ethnic and other forms of persecution has been challenged in recent years through a barrage of new laws, policies, and legal interpretations that lead our nation to deny asylum or other protection to genuine victims of persecution. Last week, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced the Refugee Protection Act of 2011 in Congress. We need more members of Congress to support this bill! Celebrate World Refugee Day this week by urging Congress to uphold the U.S. commitment to protect victims of persecution. Tell Congress to support the Refugee Protection Act of 2011! Refugees seeking asylum now face prolonged detention in prison-like conditions without due process safeguards, such as a custody hearing by an immigration court, and denials of their requests for asylum based on an arbitrary filing deadline and overly broad exclusion provisions. The Refugee Protection Act of 2011 would correct some of the most egregious policies toward refugees and re-establish the United States’ commitment to protecting the persecuted. Tell Congress to help those fleeing persecution and seeking safe haven in the United States by supporting this bill!
