Pelosi Statement on World Refugee Day

"On World Refugee Day, people around the globe take time to reflect on the struggle of millions of refugees and displaced persons escaping violence, persecution, conflict and natural disaster to seek a better, safer life for themselves and their children.  These brave men, women and children and the extraordinary individuals who come to their aid deserve our solidarity and our continued support to alleviate the evils that have torn their lives apart.

"On this Refugee Day, all Americans must remember our obligations to the ‘least of these' – particularly the innocent, vulnerable children suffering at the border at the hands of the Trump Administration's barbaric policies.  Instead of protecting these traumatized children, the President chose to pave the way for the long-term incarceration of children in prison-like conditions with his new Executive Order today. This is an utter atrocity that debases America's values and our legacy as a beacon of hope, opportunity and freedom.

"In his farewell address, President Reagan said, America is ‘still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the Pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.'  In that spirit, to honor that legacy, Democrats will continue to call on Republicans to protect the human rights of the men, women and children suffering at the border, and will fight to ensure that America remains a place of refuge to those in need."