“We must welcome refugees not only to fulfill our responsibilities as a world leader, but because the diversity, skills, and experience refugees add to our country make America a greater nation.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, released the following statement after the Trump Administration announced its decision to reduce refugee admissions to just 15,000 – a cap that is even less than last year’s record low of 18,000.

“As the world experiences one of the most severe refugee crises in recorded history, the Trump Administration has decided, yet again, to turn our back on the globe’s most vulnerable. Tens of millions of people around the world have been forced to flee their homes, and countries much smaller than ours – like Jordan and Germany – have taken in millions of their neighbors seeking refuge. Last fiscal year, however, we only admitted 11,000 refugees. This is an embarrassment. There is no excuse for not doing our part by giving a new home to those facing persecution.

“Refugees – half of whom are children – go through an extensive vetting process before entering this country, and they contribute greatly to the communities that they join. We must welcome refugees not only to fulfill our responsibilities as a world leader, but because the diversity, skills, and experience refugees add to our country make America a greater nation.”