Refugees not welcome?

Sign the petition. Tell these governors: Threatening to refuse Syrian refugees entry into your state is playing to baseless racist fears for cheap political gain.

Dear fellow MoveOn member,

I'm Linda Sarsour, a MoveOn member from Brooklyn, NY. I'm a proud Palestinian-American. My parents immigrated to the United States when they were in a time of need, and our nation had open arms. Lady Liberty stood welcoming.

I was appalled by the attacks in Paris. But I'm also appalled by the response of the 29 Republican governors (and one Democrat) who have used those attacks as an excuse to block Syrian refugees from settling in their states.¹ This isn't a time for us to be led by fear and hate. If you agree, I hope you'll sign my petition to those governors. It says:

We say no to collective punishment, and we say yes to refugees. Welcoming refugees was the right thing to do before the Paris and Beirut attacks and it's still the right thing to do. We must not be consumed by fear at this time.

We stand against this collective and cruel punishment of refugees. These individuals are escaping the very same terrorism that the world has witnessed in Paris and Beirut. Syrians have been killed by the thousands, millions have been displaced, and their entire livelihoods destroyed by the likes of ISIS (or "Daesh") and the Assad regime.

The United States has been a sanctuary for refugees fleeing political and religious persecution from all across the world. We have to make it clear that these governors don't represent the U.S. or the values we share.

If you agree, I hope you'll sign my petition calling on GOP governors (and their one Democratic ally) to stop this collective punishment of refugees in need.

While, under the Constitution, the real power to set refugee policy lies with the President, these governors are feeding an anti-refugee, anti-immigrant, xenophobic environment—and we don't yet know how far they'll go to fulfill their pledges to block Syrian refugees.²

We won't let these governors shut out migrating families in search of a safe and stable life.

Instead, we remember the words etched on the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of a long tradition of welcoming immigrants:

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Click here to add your name and then pass this petition along to your friends. It's vital we stand up to these governors now.

Thanks for your help.

–Linda Sarsour

P.S. I'm working with a group of Muslim activists and our allies to build an organization called MPower Change—a Muslim-led, digitally native, grassroots movement working to build social, spiritual, racial, and economic justice for all people. We'll be following up with you about the next steps in our campaign.

Sources:

1. "30 Governors Call For Halt To U.S. Resettlement Of Syrian Refugees," NPR, November 17, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=308235&id=135282-10220574-QQv7bUx&t=1

2. "States can't refuse Syrian refugees, but they sure can make them feel unwanted," The Guardian, November 17, 2016 http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=308230&id=135282-10220574-QQv7bUx&t=2

You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you. It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition here. http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=306934&id=135282-10220574-QQv7bUx&t=3

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