New York, NY, September 17, 2018 … ADL today condemned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement that the Trump Administration would set refugee admissions goals for fiscal year 2019 at 30,000. This is the lowest level in history and a decrease from last year’s already historic low of 45,000.
ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt issued the following statement:
This decision is a moral failure and yet another attack by this administration on refugees seeking haven from unimaginable circumstances. These xenophobic immigration policies fly in the face of our values as Americans. Now many people fleeing for their lives will not find safety in this country—a country that should be a beacon of hope and freedom for all.
The world continues to face the worst refugee crisis since World War II. More than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes by war, terror and persecution. The Jewish community knows all too well what can happen when desperate people have nowhere to turn. We must stand up against this heartless attack on refugees and demand that our country not turn its back on people desperately searching for refuge.