For Immediate Release
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) today condemns President Donald J. Trump’s revised executive order on immigration, in particular its 120-day suspension of new refugee admissions.
The following statement is attributable to Meredith Fortin, program officer and head of PHR’s Asylum Network:
“While rolling back some of the more odious provisions of the previous directive, today’s revised executive order continues to effectively malign refugees, branding them as national security threats and withholding the generosity the United States has traditionally extended to those fleeing war and persecution. PHR is particularly concerned that this blanket travel ban will bar people fleeing violence from exercising their right to seek asylum at our border. The Trump Administration is ignoring the fact that refugees and asylum seekers are often escaping the very violence the president and his advisors erroneously attribute to them. The doctors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers in PHR’s Asylum Network see asylum seekers every day, and can attest to the physical and mental scars left by torture, sexual violence, and ill treatment. Asylum seekers and refugees deserve our care, not our scorn.
“What’s more, refugees seeking to be resettled in the United States already endure rigorous background checks and a multi-year clearance process. The Trump Administration’s insistence on ‘extreme vetting’ is merely rhetoric that paints refugees as somehow threatening. The continued vilification of those seeking safety will only inflict greater suffering and harm, not just on refugees, but on asylum seekers and other immigrants as well. This order must be revoked, and the Trump Administration must protect those fleeing violence and persecution. Anything less would be un-American.”
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.