Stand With The International Institute of St. Louis
Against Proposed Cuts to Refugee Admissions

We the undersigned believe that St. Louis and all of its residents are stronger if we value our differences and act inclusively. In this case, it means standing up for refugees. They have historically been welcomed to our region and are integral to its vibrancy and growth in myriad ways. Refugees comprise a significant portion of the annual foreign born population growth our region seeks to prosper.

We are gravely concerned about the future of refugee resettlement in St. Louis and around the U.S. On September 26, the Trump Administration submitted a proposal to Congress to slash the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program by 40% to 18,000 admissions for 2020. A drop to 18,000 would reflect a total admissions cut of 88% over three years.

In St. Louis, we have experienced the results of the aforementioned cuts. In 2016, the International Institute sponsored 1,158 refugees. In the past year, the total has decreased to approximately 200 annually, a shocking number when many thousands of refugees have been resettled since 1975. Today, our neighbors include former refugees from Bosnia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Syria, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Cuba, Vietnam, and dozens of other countries. They are now home owners, successful entrepreneurs, and along with their children have become essential to the very fiber of our community.

History shows that the U.S. has benefited at least as much from refugees’ contributions as the refugees have from this nation’s generosity. In 2017, the St. Louis Regional Chamber estimated the total regional output impact exceeded $250 million for the International Institute’s job placement services for refugees. And, refugees can be a boost to many economies since they are often resettled in areas with low immigration otherwise and where population has been declining. Refugees provide a region with new population, raise the tax base and enrich the cultural landscape in the process. They are indisputably a net economic plus.

Economics aside, refugees also personify values which Americans extoll — courage, resiliency, and tenacity. They come to the U.S. to get on with meaningful lives in a secure setting, not to receive a handout. In this sense, their journey mirrors that of countless Americans and their ancestors. In welcoming refugees, we reinforce the best aspects of our nation’s heritage.

To slam the door on persecuted people while the number of refugees displaced globally continues to rise to historic levels upends decades of bipartisan tradition. It also abandons thousands of families in need of resettlement, leaving them in precarious, often life-threatening situations. Refugee resettlement assures that at least some of those forced to flee their homes in countries around the world have a safe and legal pathway to refuge in the U.S.

We oppose the Trump Administration’s proposal to drastically cut refugee admissions, because it condemns so many more to needless suffering. There are presently a record 26 million refugees around the world. The U.S. has traditionally filled a unique role in helping to protect these vulnerable people, through overseas financial support and resettlement of approximately 70,000 annually who have been vetted through the world’s most stringent refugee security assessment.

We urge our leaders to return to a more robust refugee admissions level. The resettlement program is a crucial element of our nation’s humanitarian, foreign policy and national security strategies and reflects American history and values.

Finally, we support a fair and balanced admissions approach that addresses the needs of refugees from overseas in addition to asylee applicants at our Southern border. The U.S. has the capacity to continue to operate robust well-vetted refugee and asylee admissions programs at the same time.