HIAS Statement on President Trump's Misleading Comments About Asylum

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- In a speech today, President Trump aimed to convince the American people that a group of exhausted men, women, and children who have fled some of the most violent countries on earth present an existential threat to our strong and powerful nation.

America has the capacity to process asylum claims according to U.S. and international law, while treating people humanely and with respect for their basic human dignity. Stopping people from seeking asylum is illegal. Inciting hatred and fear of migrants and refugees is immoral, as well as dangerous.

We reject the President's dark vision of America as a place where we are afraid of each other, where we greet vulnerable people, including children, with armed troops, and where we separate or imprison families as punishment for fleeing persecution and asking for help.

HIAS stands for an America that respects the rule of law, shows strength through compassion, and remains a place of hope and safety for asylum seekers and refugees around the world.