GCM stands in solidarity with refugees, migrants, Muslims, families and communities

GCM in Solidiarity w Refugees, Migrants, Muslims PDF

GCM Stands in Solidarity with Refugees, Migrants, Muslims, Families and Communities
As a global coalition of migrant and migrant-led, policy, faith-based and labor organizations, the Global Coalition on Migration stands in solidarity with and supports those targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders: refugees, migrants, Muslims, their families and communities–our communities.
These rushed, ill-conceived and mean-spirited measures include–

-Building a massive wall all along the U.S.-Mexican border;
-Refusing entry for 90 days to US visa holders from seven countries with Muslim majorities (Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Syria);
-Suspending admission of already-vetted refugees for 120 days, stopping admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely, and drastically reducing the number of refugees the US will admit this year and in the future;
-Expanding immigration detention and stepping up deportations; and
-Withdrawing federal funding from “sanctuary cities” that refuse to require local authorities to act as immigration enforcement agents and “mandating” local and state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

As reasoned responses across the political spectrum have noted, the measures really miss their mark. Rather than increasing safety and security, they divide, polarize and invite backlash. They target and scapegoat refugees, migrants, and Muslims– and families and communities both within and outside of the United States. They authorize and license racist and xenophobic responses and spread insecurity and fear, while withholding federal funding for cities that would protect all their residents. They keep people who have fled war and persecution, have been thoroughly vetted and have often waited years in third countries from being able to start new lives. They keep students at US colleges and universities from returning to their classes and those who have visited family in countries of origin from returning to their families, lives, and jobs in the US.

The impacts are far reaching for millions of migrants and refugees around the world. Outside the US, these measures embolden right-wing nationalist politicians and governments utilizing xenophobia and fear to dismantle social, economic and political rights across communities. Further measures by the Trump administration could wreak even more havoc around the world: an additional draft order would drastically cut funding to a wide range of United Nations agencies, including those responsible for peacekeeping.
On the other hand, we are emboldened to support and defend the rights of those who have been targeted by the Trump Administration’s policies. We are inspired by the shows of solidarity within and beyond the United States—

-The three million who marched at Women’s marches worldwide for intersectional rights, bringing the voices of undocumented and migrant women and girls to the center;
-The thousands who have protested in airports across the U.S. against the Muslim and refugee ban and organized networks of legal support for the release of those detained;
-The undocumented and immigrant youth who have organized alongside trade unions, faith groups, civil rights groups, mayors and policy-makers and businesses to set up “sanctuary” cities and communities and “hate free zones.”

We are committed to the struggle for human rights for migrants and refugees in the critical years ahead as governments, the UN, civil society and stakeholders negotiate the global compacts on migration and on refugees.

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