“The communities we represent have seen hard decades. Deindustrialization, population loss, disinvestment. And then, slowly, things started turning around, and a key reasonf or this is the influx of refugees to Upstate cities. They come from all over the world, open businesses, employ people, pay taxes, nurture strong families, bring their expertise and energy to a wide variety of fields, and contribute countless volunteer hours to local organizations. Communities across Upstate are the better for them.

Refugees go through years of vetting before they even set foot in America. The process is arduous and thorough. Once here, they receive a mere 6 weeks of assistance with housing and other needs, and then they are expected to fend for themselves, so they quickly find jobs, get their kids situated in a school, and become productive members of society. All while waiting for green cards, they are legally entitled to receive at the end of a rigorous process. The Trump administration announced this week that it will seek to detain some refugees during that process. A federal court already found that a version of this policy likely violated federal law. The administration is moving ahead anyway.

Detaining people for following the law is not a security measure. It is a betrayal of a promise the United States made to some of the most vulnerable people in the world, and a violation of everything this country has always said it stands for.

Our communities are welcoming communities. The refugees who are our neighbors, friends, and coworkers belong here. We will not be silent while the federal government threatens them.”