WASHINGTON, November 13 – In response to President Trump’s recent cut in refugee admissions, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Patrick Leahy and Representative Peter Welch issued the following statement:

“President Trump’s recent approval of a 18,000 limit on refugee admissions – the lowest admissions ceiling in our country’s history – is a shameful abdication of our role in providing refuge to those fleeing extreme violence and poverty around the world.

“The timing could not be worse. According to the United Nations, more than 70 million people worldwide have been displaced from their homes due to persecution and conflict, including almost 30 million refugees. This is a global humanitarian crisis of an unprecedented scale, and the United States must do its part to address it.

“Welcoming refugees to this country and to Vermont is not only the right thing to do, but it also benefits our communities in many ways. For centuries, immigrants and refugees have made significant contributions to our culture and economy and helped us become the country and state we are today. And here in Vermont, refugees are essential to growing our workforce. At a time when our state’s population is aging and declining, employers increasingly rely on the New American community to address labor shortages and help their businesses expand.     

“We stand united in our support of the refugee resettlement program and call on the Trump Administration to significantly increase refugee admissions. Refugees come to the U.S. for the same things we all want: safety, freedom, and opportunity. If we turn our backs on refugees, we abandon the very identity of our country as a refuge for the persecuted and oppressed.”