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I suppose whenever a new leader takes over, some will benefit and some will suffer. My heart this morning is for the ~1600 Afghans who were scheduled to come to the U.S. in the next few months, some of whom literally had flights booked that are now canceled.
As you may have seen, President Trump has put a 90 day hold on the U.S. Refugee Program. This freeze came via one of his 26 day-one executive orders.
Please don’t read this as a broad-scale political indictment. This is a specific issue that affects the Muslim Connect tribe. I’d submit that even if you’re not American, this could be an issue for you: Your government might be influenced by this decision or your country may continue to care for refugees previously bound for the U.S.
Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, a leading U.S. based refugee resettlement organization, said in a press release on January 20th, “We’re heartbroken by this decision. At a time when there are more refugees globally than ever in recorded history, including many persecuted on account of their faith, the United States should be doing more — not less — to offer help to those in need of refuge. Nevertheless, we’re grateful that the president’s order today still leaves room for resettlement to resume later this year, and we pray he will indeed resume resettlement as soon as possible.”
In situations such as these, we can often feel powerless. Of course we can pray and our prayers have power beyond our comprehension. In this case, we also can take some action. World Relief has written a statement urging President Trump to “Sustain the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program.” I heartily urge you to join me in signing this statement. Add this action to your prayers that the new president would deal rightly with refugees.
Feel free to push back on this or help me understand what I’m missing that makes President Trump’s executive action a good idea.
