Statement from Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Acting Commissioner Bitta Mostofi on President Trump’s Executive Order on Refugee Admissions

October, 27, 2017

“Refugee admissions have finally resumed, but the President’s xenophobia continues to lay the foundation for national immigration policy. We are in the midst of the greatest refugee crisis since World War II, but the Trump Administration is committed to diminishing refugee admissions to historic lows. New Yorkers are not deceived by the Administration’s announcement of an additional 90-day security review on 11 unnamed countries: ultimately, admission numbers will reveal that this is simply a Muslim Ban by another name. Misleading rhetoric from the White House claiming that it will continue to admit individuals from these countries on a “case-by-case” basis further reveals the Trump Administration’s attempt to obfuscate the truth about long-standing security protocols for refugee admissions: refugees are only ever admitted on a case-by-case basis. The fact is refugees are already some of the most extensively vetted individuals to enter the U.S. Further, the Administration’s decision to keep suffering families apart by indefinitely suspending the admissions of refugees’ family members is inhumane and has no basis in national security. The Trump Administration’s rejection of refugees is nothing less than an abdication of this country’s global leadership.”

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