Christian Leaders Decry Government Mislabeling of Refugees as Terrorists, Call for Immediate Action
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2010 /
Christian Newswire/ -- More than 5,000 people who have already passed the difficult test to prove they are refugees living peacefully in the United States -- as well as untold numbers of refugees who remain in dangerous situations abroad -- will spend this holiday season wrongly categorized by the U.S. government as "terrorists."
To date, U.S. agencies have failed to adopt the procedures that Congress passed in 2007 through bipartisan legislation spearheaded by Senators Kyl and Leahy. As a result, thousands of cases are being placed on hold, leaving many to languish in limbo and be indefinitely separated from their families. At Monday's event, conservative thinkers, religious leaders, and human rights advocates will highlight the lack of action by the administration and unite in their call for an end to the bureaucratic delays and the needless human tragedy suffered by law-abiding persons and their families already victimized by persecution. To further illustrate this point, a refugee directly affected by the policy will share how these bureaucratic delays have held up his case.
This briefing is open to press and lunch will be provided. A letter to President Obama signed by the speakers and other religious and human rights leaders will be available at this briefing.
What: Lunch Panel - Mislabeled as Terrorists: Government Inaction Keeps Refugee Families Apart
Who: Elisa Massimino, President, Human Rights First
Galen Carey, Director of Governmental Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals
Barrett Duke, Vice President, Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for America
Michael Horowitz, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Kevin Appleby, Director of Migration Policy, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Melanie Nezer, Senior Director of Advocacy, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
When: Monday, December 20th at 12pm EST, 9am PST
Where: Betsy and Walter Stern Conference Center; Hudson Institute, 1015 15th Street, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20005
How: In-Person Press Event. Or, dial (661) 673-8600, password: 128756#. Or watch live online at
www.hudson.org/WatchLive
To RSVP, please email your name and affiliation with "Refugee" in the subject line to
events@hudson.org
