REP. SYLVIA GARCIA CHAIRS JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE UNITED STATES REFUGEE PROGRAM

WASHINGTON, DC — Today in the House Committee on the Judiciary, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) chaired a Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship hearing on "The Current State of the United States Refugee Program." The hearing examined the impact of the administration's efforts to effectively weaken the U.S. refugee resettlement program and make it more difficult for migrants to present asylum claims. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that the U.S. does not abandon its long-standing tradition of welcoming refugees, especially at a time when the world is experiencing the worst refugee crisis in history with an estimated 25.9 million refugees worldwide.

Video of Congresswoman Garcia's Opening Remarks

We cannot abandon our long-standing tradition of leadership in welcoming refugees.

It is fundamental to our values as a nation.

Today we're faced with a choice and we must make it clear that refugees are welcome in America. #RefugeesWelcomepic.twitter.com/36U0bxCEUh

— Rep. Sylvia Garcia (@RepSylviaGarcia) February 27, 2020

"Thank you, Chairwoman Lofgren. I am honored to be able to chair this hearing today.

Next week, we will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the bi-partisan Refugee Act of 1980, signed into law by President Reagan. Since the passage of the Refugee Act, the United States has welcomed an average of 85,000 refugees each year from around the world. 85,000 people who were given a chance at the American dream.

Refugee resettlement has always been a bipartisan effort, a responsibility that the U.S. accepted with pride as a beacon of hope for all who yearn for a better life.

Yet, all of this changed when this administration politicized refugees, guided by lies, and slashed the number of refugees admitted to the United States each year.

The lies spread about the refugee community are simply not true.

There are roughly 37,000 individuals who at the very least have received a DHS interview, in many cases have gone through "extreme vetting" and have been cleared to travel to the U.S.

Yet they've been held back by the administration's policy change.

These individuals should be admitted to the country as refugees this year.

Delaying resettlement means that families cannot travel together and must wait a long time before being reunited, yet another cruel form of family separation.

Refugees arrive from all corners of the globe and resettle across the country.

I am especially proud that my hometown of Houston resettles more refugees than almost any other city.

After arriving, 90% of refugees reach self-sufficiency in only 6 months, a truly impressive feat given all the barriers that come with living in a new country.

Some do this by starting a business and eventually employing others, as we know refugees start businesses at a higher rate than other citizens.

Helping refugees along their journey are non-profit agencies.

Some of these organizations have been doing this work for 40 years, ever since refugees started arriving from Vietnam and Cambodia.

Agencies in Houston like Catholic Charities, YMCA International services, and The Alliance have grown with the rising numbers of refugees – developing a solid infrastructure of support for newly arrived refugees.

Now, because of efforts to drastically limit the refugee program, we risk losing these agencies, systems that cannot simply start up again once a new administration restores the previous resettlement numbers.

The Administration recently issued an executive order giving states and localities "veto" power over refugee resettlement.

Gov. Abbott of my home state of Texas then made the misguided decision becoming the only Governor in the *country* to veto refugee resettlement under the executive order.

Fortunately, that order has been stopped by the courts.

The world is experiencing the worst refugee crisis in history with an estimated 25.9 million refugees worldwide, and we cannot abandon our long-standing tradition of leadership in welcoming them.

It is good for our economy and our national security, but most importantly it's fundamental to our values as a nation.

Afterall, it's about people and doing what's right. Today we are faced with a choice.

We can either allow the administration to undo the will of the American people over the last 40 years —OR— We can use this hearing to reset our bipartisan refugee efforts and work together to welcome the world's most vulnerable to the land of freedom and opportunity.

The choice to me is clear and I hope my colleagues will join me in saying that refugees are welcome in America."