Over 1,400 Jewish clergy-members signed a petition demanding lawmakers protect the right to request asylum in the U.S., citing the history of the Jewish people as a warning for today’s treatment of immigrants.
“The Jewish people know what it means to be turned away and to be denied protection,” the petition reads. “As Jews we understand the heart of the refugee, and the current actions of our government echo some of the darkest moments of our own history.”
Activists from the advocacy group HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, delivered the petition (pdf) to lawmakers on July 18.
Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld of Congregation Albert in Albuquerque was one of the clergy on hand for the delivery.
“The officials we met, from both sides of the aisle, were sympathetic to the necessity of providing humane treatment and facilities to those seeking asylum in the United States,” said Rosenfeld. “I believe we made a difference.”
President Donald Trump’s war on immigrants has placed hundreds of migrants into overcrowded facilities and separated families in an attempt to use their punishment as a warning to other people trying to reach the country. The administration has also shut off avenues for claiming asylum at the border, instead demanding that people in need of aid go through a third country instead.
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