Jesuit Refugee Service Expresses Great Disappointment Over Recent Executive Order

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA has expressed great disappointment regarding the Trump administration executive order issued earlier this week. On Monday, March 6, the Trump administration issued the order  which revoked and replace a prior order signed on January 27. The revised order imposes entry restrictions for nationals of six Muslim majority countries, including Syria; suspends refugee resettlement for 120 days; and drastically reduces the annual number of refugees the United States welcomes from 110,000 to 50,000, a historic low.

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, a regional organization that supports Jesuit Refugee Service’s international work, has a mission of accompaniment, serving and advocacy for the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons.

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is greatly disappointed by the Trump Administration’s issuance of a revised Executive Order banning the entry of travelers from six Muslim majority countries into the United States for ninety days, suspending the U.S. refugee resettlement program for 120 days, and slashing the number of planned refugee admissions by more than half.

“The world is deeply troubled, and many of our brothers and sisters are justifiably terrified. Our Catholic and Jesuit identity calls us to welcome the stranger and to approach different faith traditions and cultures with openness and understanding. We must not give in to fear. We must continue to defend human rights and religious liberty,” said Fr. Leo J. O’Donovan, S.J., Interim Executive Director of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.

The statement close by emphasizing Jesuit Refugee Service/USA’s bolstered efforts to provide help to refugees who wait in limbo in camps and settlements by providing “life-changing educational services, counseling, livelihoods training and emergency support.”

The full statement from Jesuit Refugee Service/USA can be found here.