Oppose Anti-Immigrant State Department Nominee to Protect U.S. Refugee Program

Endorsing Organizations: Anti-Defamation League, Church World Service, Human Rights First, National Council of Jewish Women, Emgage Action, Foreign Policy for America, African American Ministers in Action, Refugees International, Alianza Americas, Franciscan Action Network, American Jewish World Service, New York Immigration Coalition, Win Without War, Latin America Working Group (LAWG), T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

Signers: Frankel, Torres, Roybal-Allard, Lofgren, Lowey, Johnson (Hank), Cicilline, Schakowsky, Meng, Espaillat, Norton, Shalala, Wilson, McGovern, Foster, Speier, Pocan, Pallone, Jayapal, Welch, Khanna, Grijalva, Omar, Wasserman, Schultz, Napolitano, Blumenauer, Escobar, Sires, Garcia, Beyer, Deutch, Sanchez, Clarke

Dear Colleague:

We invite you to join us in calling for the Trump Administration to withdraw Ronald Mortensen’s nomination to be Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, whose nomination was resubmitted on January 16, 2019. Mortensen’s disparaging comments toward immigrants and ties to racist organizations disqualifies him from managing the bureau responsible for refugee and migration policies and programs, especially at a time when the world faces the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Mortensen is a fellow with the Center for Immigration Studies, which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and advocates for drastically reducing immigration to the U.S. He has demonized Dreamers as “criminals,” accused Latino-American elected officials of dual loyalties, and  written that “most illegal aliens routinely commit felonies.”

Amidst the Trump Administration’s draconian crackdown on immigrants coupled with the lowest refugee resettlement goals in U.S. history, confirming an individual with well-documented anti-immigrant views would have a devastating impact on our refugee admissions
and diplomatic programs.

To sign the letter or for more information, please contact Daniel Bleiberg with Rep. Frankel at
Daniel.Bleiberg@mail.house.gov (6-1762). Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

LOIS FRANKEL                                     LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

Member of Congress                            Member of Congress

NORMA TORRES                                  ZOE LOFGREN

Member of Congress                            Member of Congress