HIAS Strongly Opposes RAISE Act

SILVER SPRING, Md.—Today, Senators Tom Cotton (Ark.) and David Perdue (Ga.) appeared with President Trump at the White House to endorse legislation that would cut legal immigration to the United States.

The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act aims to slash legal immigration by at least 50 percent in the next 10 years, including limiting refugee resettlement to a maximum of 50,000 refugees per year.   

In response to the proposed legislation, HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield issued the following statement:

“Newcomers are an asset to this country, not a threat. The United States and the American Jewish community were both founded by immigrants and refugees. This country would not be what it is today without the contributions of immigrants and refugees, and restricting the future of these populations in America will only restrict the future of America itself.

“Additionally, in the face of the largest global refugee crisis in recorded history, restricting refugee admissions to 50,000 would run contrary to America’s proud tradition offering safe haven to those fleeing violence and persecution. It would also send a troubling signal to the rest of the international community and tie the hands of future American presidents, impeding them from developing effective foreign policy in response to refugee crises.”

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