There has never been a more urgent time for states and communities across the country to demonstrate their support for refugees and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, a bipartisan program that has offered safety and homes to refugees the world over since 1980.
As of September 13, 2019, 377 local and state elected officials from 46 states have signed the letter below to express their community’s support for refugees and ask the President to set the next refugee admissions goal for at least 95,000 refugees to be resettled in the United States over the course of Fiscal Year 2020.
On September 10, 2019 the letter was sent to the President, who will make a decision about the refugee admissions goal this month. However, the form remains open to signatures and this page will be periodically updated to reflect new signatories. We encourage you to make your voice, and the voices of your constituents, heard by signing on!
———— TEXT OF LETTER ——————————–
President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As leaders in our community elected at all levels of state and local government, we write today to express our strong support for resettling refugees in our states and communities and to urge your Administration to resettle at least 95,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2020. We hope that you consider the voices of communities across the country as we join together in support of this life-saving program that brings so much to our collective communities and express our desire to help protect refugees in need.
Each day, an estimated 44,000 people are forcibly displaced from their homes due to violence, persecution, or war. The United Nations Refugee Agency reports that over 68.5 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, 25.4 million of whom are registered as refugees. More than half of those registered are children. Despite this constantly growing crisis, last year the United States set its lowest resettlement goal of only 30,000 refugees, and to date, has only resettled 17,276 refugees this fiscal year. Fiscal Year 2019’s refugee admissions goal represents the lowest number of refugees the U.S. has resettled in the history of the program, and comes at a time of the greatest need. We know we can do so much more.
The United States of America is a nation founded and built by immigrants and refugees. It is our shared immigrant story that makes our collective states and local communities strong; it is our deep respect for hard work, our shared commitment to the country we call home, and our belief that America is a beacon of hope, that unite us.
The American people – our constituents – express their support for resettling refugees in our communities every single day. From welcoming a refugee family as they arrive at an airport to assisting them with English language classes or simply helping them navigate the local bus line – our communities stand for welcome. Like us, they know that refugees are not people to be feared – they are men, women, and children who were forced to flee in order to save their lives and are now looking for a place to call home again.
Refugees bring immense value to our communities. They have invigorated our economies, brought innovation to our towns, and made our communities stronger through their contributions to our public life and cultural institutions. Refugees in the U.S. are students, business owners, dedicated employees, customers, elected officials, and community leaders – just like us. They are us.
The significant decline in refugee arrivals has had a negative impact on our local economies, especially for employers that have traditionally welcomed refugees. Many key U.S. industries – including manufacturing, lumber, hospitality, and food production – have become increasingly reliant on refugee workers to fill in gaps left by labor shortages.
Refugees, and their descendants, bring so much to our communities, and we are better and stronger because of them. As state and local elected officials, we encourage you to visit our communities and hear directly from our constituents, including refugees themselves, about what this life-saving program has brought to our country.
We hope that you will take into account our strong desire to welcome refugees as you make your determination on the number of refugees our country will help in the coming year.
Sincerely,
Alabama
Neil Rafferty, State Representative, Birmingham
Alaska
Andrew Josephson, State Representative, Anchorage
Arizona
Ylenia Aguilar, School Board Member, Phoenix
Lela Alston, State Senator, Phoenix
Richard Andrade, State Representative, Phoenix
Isela Blanc, State Representative, Tempe
Andres Cano, State Representative, Tucson
Steven Chapman, School Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Cesar Chavez, State Representative, Phoenix
Andrea Dalessandro, State Senator, Green Valley
Devin Del Palacio, Tolleson Union School District Governing Board Member, Tolleson
Elora Diaz, School Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Kirsten Engel, State Representative, Tucson
Diego Espinoza, State Representative, Phoenix
Charlene Fernandez, State Representative, Yuma
Rosanna Gabaldon, State Representative, Phoenix
Kate Gallego, Mayor, Phoenix
Carlos Garcia, District 8 Councilmember, Phoenix
Betty Guardado, District 5 City Councilwoman, Phoenix
Berdetta Hodge, Tempe Union Governing Board President, Tempe
Lauren Kuby, Vice Mayor, Tempe
Jennifer Longdon, State Representative, Phoenix
Juan Mendez, State Senator, Tempe
Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete, State Senator, Phoenix
Katie Paetz, Osborn School Board Member, Phoenix
Channel Powe, Balsz School District Governing Board President, Phoenix
Pamela Powers Hannley, State Representative, Phoenix
Stanford Prescott, Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Martín Quezada, State Senator, Phoenix
Rebecca Rios, State Senator, Phoenix
Tony Rivero, State Representative, Phoenix
Diego Rodriguez, State Representative, Laveen
Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor, Tucson
Athena Salman, House Minority Whip, Tempe
Victoria Steele, State Senator, Phoenix
Monica Trejo, School Board Member, Tempe
Raquel Teran, State Representative, Phoenix
Arkansas
Lioneld Jordan, Mayor, Fayetteville
Sarah Marsh, Vice Mayor and City Council Member, Fayetteville
Teresa Turk, City Council Member, Fayetteville
California
Eric Garcetti, Mayor, Los Angeles
Ben Allen, State Senator, Santa Monica
Tom Butt, Mayor, Richmond
Bob Blumenfield, City Councilmember, Los Angeles
Laura Friedman, Assemblymember, Glendale
Paul Koretz, City Councilmember, Los Angeles
Sheila Kuehl, County Supervisor, Los Angeles
Marc Levine, Assemblymember, San Rafael
Don Saylor, County Supervisor, Yolo County
Colorado
Michael Hancock, Mayor, Denver
KC Becker, State Representative, Boulder
Stephen Fenberg, State Senator, Boulder
Dominick Moreno, State Senator, Commerce City
Adam Paul, Mayor, Lakewood
Dave Young, Colorado State Treasurer, Greeley
Connecticut
Matt Blumenthal, State Representative, Stamford
Raghib Allie-Brennan, State Representative, Bethel
Robin E. Comey, State Representative, Branford
Hacibey Catalbasoglu, Alderman, New Haven
Patricia Dillon, State Representative, New Haven
Josh Elliott, State Representative, Hamden
Roland Lemar, State Representative, New Haven
Matthew Lesser, State Senator, Middletown
District of Columbia
Muriel Bowser, Mayor
Brianne Nadeau, Councilmember
Elissa Silverman, At-Large Councilmember
Delaware
Rysheema Dixon, City Council Member-at-Large, Wilmington
Linda Gray, 1st District Councilwoman, Wilmington
Debra Heffernan, State Representative, Wilmington
Hanifa Shabazz, City Council President, Wilmington
Florida
Buddy Dyer, Mayor, Orlando
Trish Becker, County Commissioner, St. Augustine
Erica Connor, Supervisor, Ponte Vedra Beach
Nicholas Duran, State Representative, Miami
Anna Eskamani, State Representative, Orlando
Kristin Jacobs, State Representative, Coconut Creek
Al Jacquet, State Representative, Mangonia
Evan Jenne, State Representative, Hollywood
Shevrin Jones, State Representative, West Park
Dotie Joseph, State Representative, Miami
Amy Mercado, State Representative, Orlando
Cindy Polo, State Representative, Hialeah
Carlos Guillermo Smith, State Representative, Orlando
Victor Torres, State Senator, Kissimmee
Georgia
Yterenickia Bell, City Council Member, Clarkston
Anthony S. Ford, Mayor, Stockbridge
Patti Garrett, Mayor, Decatur
Deana Holiday Ingraham, Mayor, East Point
Ted Terry, Mayor, Clarkston
Idaho
David Bieter, Mayor, Boise
Mathew Erpelding, State Representative, Boise
Maryanne Jordan, State Senator, Boise
Mark Nye, State Senator, Pocatello
Illinois
Lori Lightfoot, Mayor, Chicago
Alma Anaya, County Commissioner, Cook County
Luis Arroyo Jr., County Commissioner, Cook County
Scott Britton, County Commissioner, Cook County
James Cappleman, Alderman, Chicago
Kelly Cassidy, State Representative, Chicago
Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Treasurer, Chicago
John Cullerton, Illinois Senate President, Chicago
John P. Daley, County Commissioner, Cook County
Bridget Degnen, County Commissioner, Cook County
Sara Feigenholtz, State Representative, Chicago
Laura Fine, State Senator, Glenview
Robyn Gabel, State Representative, Evanston
Will Guzzardi, State Representative, Chicago
Maria Hadden, Alderwoman, Chicago
Brandon Johnson, County Commissioner, Cook County
Matt Martin, Alderman, Chicago
Donna Miller, County Commissioner, Cook County
Kevin B. Morrison, County Commissioner, Cook County
Harry Osterman, Alderman, Chicago
Toni Preckwinkle, President, Cook County
Debra Silverstein, Alderman, Chicago
Peter N. Silvestri, County Commissioner, Cook County
Deborah Sims, County Commissioner, Cook County
Michele Smith, Alderman, Chicago
Larry Suffredin, County Commissioner, Cook County
Anna Valencia, City Clerk, Chicago
George Van Dusen, Mayor, Skokie
Indiana
John Hamilton, Mayor, Bloomington
Zach Adamson, City County Councilor, Indianapolis
Iowa
Marti Anderson, State Representative, Des Moines
Art Staed, State Representative, Cedar Rapids
Stacey Walker, County Commissioner, Linn County
Kansas
Brandon Johnson, City Council Member, Wichita
Mary Ware, State Senator, Wichita
Kentucky
Logan Nance, City Council Member, Midway
Kathy Plomin, City Council Member, Lexington
Susan Westrom, State Representative, Lexington
Louisiana
Erika L. Green, City Councilwoman, Baton Rouge
Maine
Pious Ali, Council Member At-Large, Portland
Kristen S. Cloutier, Mayor, Lewiston
Maryland
Malcolm Augustine, State Senator, Hyattsville
Brian Feldman, State Senator, Annapolis
Jessica Feldmark, State Delegate, Columbia
Dannielle Glaros, County Council Member, Prince George’s County
Ana Sol Gutierrez, State Delegate, Chevy Chase
Edouard Haba, City Councilman, Hyattsville
Julian Ivey, State Delegate, Cheverly
David Moon, State Delegate, Silver Spring
Joseline Peña-Melnyk, State Delegate, College Park
Paul Pinsky, State Senator, Hyattsville
Jeffrey Slavin, Mayor, Somerset
Kate Stewart, Mayor, Takoma Park
Deni Taveras, County Council Member, Prince George’s County
Rocio Treminio-Lopez, Mayor, Brentwood
Jeff Waldstreicher, State Senator, Annapolis
Jheanelle Wilkins, State Delegate, Silver Spring
Patrick L. Wojahn, Mayor and Council, College Park
Massachusetts
Harriette Chandler, State Senator, Worcester
Annie Gilbert, Selectwoman, Andover
Laura Gregory, Selectwoman, Andover
Daniel Koh, Select Board Member, Andover
Alex Morse, Mayor, Holyoke
Tram Nguyen, State Representative, Andover
Denise Provost, State Representative, Somerville
William Reichelt, Mayor, West Springfield
Shannon Scully, School Committee Member, Andover
Jeffrey Thielman, School Committee Member, Arlington
Holly Vietzke-Lynch, School Committee Member, North Andover
Michigan
Christopher Taylor, Mayor, Ann Arbor
Rosalynn Bliss, Mayor, Grand Rapids
Stephanie Chang, State Senator, Detroit
Abdullah Hammoud, State Representative, Dearborn
Ruth Kelly, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
David LaGrand, State Representative, Grand Rapids
Steven Maas, Mayor, Grandville
Karen Majewski, Mayor, Hamtramck
Kurt Metzger, Mayor, Pleasant Ridge
Kurt Reppart, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
Robert Wittenberg, State Representative, Huntington Woods
Minnesota
Tim Walz, Governor, Minnesota
Melvin Carter, Mayor, St. Paul
Jacob Frey, Mayor, Minneapolis
Andrew Johnson, City Council Member, Minneapolis
Jennifer Julsrud, City Councilmember, Duluth
Fue Lee, State Representative, St. Paul
John Lesch, State Representative, St. Paul
Sandra Pappas, State Senator, St. Paul
Dave Pinto, State Representative, St. Paul
Mitra Nelson, City Councilmember, St. Paul
Missouri
Daniel Guenther, 9th Ward Alderman, St. Louis
Lyda Krewson, Mayor, St. Louis
Kip Kendrick, State Representative, Columbia
Annie Rice, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Martha Stevens, State Representative, Columbia
Brian Williams, State Senator, St. Louis
Montana
Kim Abbott, State Representative, Helena
Dick Barrett, State Senator, Missoula
Emma Kerr-Carpenter, State Representative, Billings
Mary Ann Dunwell, State Representative, Helena
John Engen, Mayor, Missoula
Jessica Karjala, State Representative, Billings
Bob Kelly, Mayor, Great Falls
Connie Keogh, State Representative, Missoula
Jasmine Krotkov, State Representative, Neihart
Margaret MacDonald, State Senator, Billings
Mary McNally, State Senator, Billings
Andrea Olsen, State Representative, Missoula
David Strohmaier, County Commissioner, Missoula
Katie Sullivan, State Representative, Missoula
Nebraska
Tony Vargas, State Senator, Omaha
New Hampshire
Safiya Wazir, State Representative, Concord
Karen Zook, City Councilor, Lebanon
New Jersey
Joshua Fine, Borough Council Member, Highland Park
Catherine Gural, Deputy Mayor, Montgomery
Sadaf Jaffer, Mayor, Montgomery
Gayle Brill Mittler, Mayor, Highland Park
Marvin Schuldiner, Township Committee Member, Montgomery=
New Mexico
Timothy Keller, Mayor, Albuquerque
Gerald Ortiz y Pino, State Senator, Albuquerque
Renee Villareal, Councilwoman, Santa Fe
New York
Noam Bramson, Mayor, New Rochelle
Byron W. Brown, Mayor, Buffalo
Kathy Sheehan, Mayor, Albany
Lovely Warren, Mayor, Rochester
Patricia Fahy, Assemblymember, Albany
Liz Krueger, State Senator, New York
Amy Paulin, Assemblymember, Scarsdale
Linda B. Rosethal, Assemblymember, New York
Steven Weinberg, Mayor, Village of Thomaston
David Weprin, Assemblymember, Fresh Meadows
Gregory Young, Supervisor, Gloversville
North Carolina
Pam Hemminger, Mayor, Chapel Hill
Steve Schewel, Mayor, Durham
Marikay Abuzuaiter, City Council Member-At-Large, Greensboro
Vickie Adamson, County Commissioner, Wake County
Jessica Anderson, Mayor Pro Tem, Chapel Hill
John Autry, State Representative, Charlotte
James Barrett, School Board Member, Chapel Hill
Natalie Beyer, Board of Education Member, Durham
Javiera Caballero, City Council Member, Durham
Heidi Carter, Durham County Commissioner, Durham
Jay Chaudhuri, State Senator, Raleigh
Christy Clark, State Representative, Huntersville
Susan Fisher, State Representative, Asheville
Brenda Howerton, County Commissioner, Durham
Mark Jackson, Town Councilman, Archer Lodge
Wendy Jacobs, Chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, Durham
Jillian Johnson, Mayor Pro Tempore, Durham
Michelle Kennedy, City Council Member, Greensboro
Audra Killingsworth, Town Council Member, Apex
Lydia Lavelle, Mayor, Carborro
Nasif Majeed, State Representative, Raleigh
Stef Mendell, City Council Member, Raleigh
Graig Meyer, State Representative, Chapel Hill
Wiley Nickel, State Senator, Raleigh
Renée Price, County Commissioner, Orange County
Damon Seils, Alderman, Carrboro
Kandie Smith, State Representative, Greenville
Karen Stegman, Town Council Member, Chapel Hill
Nicole Stewart, City Council Member-At-Large, Raleigh
Jennifer Weaver, Mayor Pro Tempore, Hillsborough
Mike Woodard, State Senator, Durham
North Dakota
Tim Mahoney, Mayor, Fargo
John Strand, City Commissioner, Fargo
Ohio
Nan Whaley, Mayor, Dayton
Elizabeth Brown, City Council President Pro Tempore, Columbus
David Donofrio, South-Western City Schools Board of Education Member, Columbus
Emmanuel Remy, Councilmember, Columbus
Peter Ujvagi, City Councilman, Toledo
Oklahoma
Carrie Blumert, County Commissioner, Oklahoma County
James Cooper, City Councilmember, Oklahoma City
JoBeth Hamon, Ward 6 City Councilmember, Oklahoma City
Carri Hicks, State Senator, Oklahoma City
Cyndi Munson, State Representative, Oklahoma City
Collin Walke, State Representative, Oklahoma City
Oregon
Denny Doyle, Mayor, Beaverton
Chloe Eudaly, Commissioner, Portland
Alissa Keny-Guyer, State Representative, Portland
Rita Moore, PhD, Portland Public Schools Board of Education Director, Portland
Lori Stegmann, County Commissioner, Portland
Stephanie Stephens, David Douglas School District School Board Member, Portland
Pennsylvania
James F. Kenney, Mayor, Philadelphia
William Peduto, Mayor, Pittsburgh
Danene Sorace, Mayor, Lancaster
Danilo Burgos, State Representative, Philadelphia
Faith Craig, City Councilmember, Lancaster
Jason Dawkins, State Representative, Philadelphia
Janet Diaz, City Councilwoman, Lancaster
Elizabeth Fiedler, State Representative, Philadelphia
Isabella Fitzgerald, State Representative, Philadelphia
John Graupera, City Councilmember, Lancaster
Jordan A. Harris, State Representative, Philadelphia
Art Haywood, State Senator, Philadelphia
Malcolm Kenyatta, State Representative, Philadelphia
Joanna McClinton, State Representative, Philadelphia
Dan Miller, State Representative, Pittsburgh
Eric Papenfuse, Mayor, Harrisburg
Maria D. Quinones Sanchez, City Councilmember, Philadelphia
Joseph Schember, Mayor, Erie
Michael Schlossberg, State Representative, Allentown
Erika Strassburger, City Councilmember, Pittsburgh
Chris Rabb, State Representative, Philadelphia
James Reichenbach, City Council President, Lancaster
Rosita C. Youngblood, State Representative, Philadelphia
Rhode Island
Jorge Elorza, Mayor, Providence
Gayle Goldin, State Senator, Providence
South Carolina
Stephen Benjamin, Mayor, Columbia
Carol Jackson, City Council Member, Charleston
South Dakota
Reynold Nesiba, State Senator, Sioux Falls
Tennessee
David Briley, Mayor, Nashville
Madeline Rogero, Mayor, Knoxville
Fabian Bedne, Metro Council Member, Nashville
John Ray Clemmons, State Representative, Nashville
Jason Powell, State Representative, Nashville
Texas
Steve Adler, Mayor, Austin
Eric Johnson, Mayor, Dallas
Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio
Clay Jenkins, County Judge, Dallas
Utah
Jacqueline Biskupski, Mayor, Salt Lake City
Jani Iwamoto, State Senator, Salt Lake City
Mark A. Wheatley, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Vermont
Anne Watson, Mayor, Montpelier
Miro Weinberger, Mayor, Burlington
Tim Briglin, State Representative, Thetford
Thomas I. Chittenden, City Councilor, South Burlington
Ali Dieng, City Councilor, Burlington
Meaghan Emery, City Council Vice Chair, South Burlington
Maxine Grad, State Representative, Moretown
Jack Hanson, City Councilor, Burlington
Debbie Ingram, State Senator, Williston
Kristine Lott, Mayor, Winooski
Karen Paul, City Councilor, Burlington
Franklin Paulino, City Councilor, Burlington
Ann Pugh, State Representative, Montpelier
Helen Riehle, City Council Chair, South Burlington
Lisa Ryan, Alderwoman, Rutland
Robin Scheu, State Representative, Middlebury
Joan Shannon, City Councilor, Burlington
Michael Sirotkin, State Senator, South Burlington
Michael Yantachka, State Representative, Charlotte
Maida F. Townsend, State Representative, South Burlington
Theresa Wood, State Representative, Waterbury
Michael Yantachka, State Representative, Charlotte
David Zuckerman, Lt. Governor, Montpelier
Virginia
Justin Wilson, Mayor, Alexandria
Creigh Deeds, State Senator, Charlottesville
Kaye Kory, State Delegate, Falls Church
Mark Levine, State Delegate, Alexandria
Dave Marsden, State Senator, Burke
Scott Surovell, State Senator, Mt. Vernon
Washington
Jay Inslee, Governor, Olympia
April Barker, City Council Member, Bellingham
Reuven Carlyle, State Senator, Seattle
Jeannie Darneille, State Senator, Tacoma
Mona Das, State Senator, Auburn
Todd Donovan, County Councilmember, Bellingham
Jake Fey, State Representative, Tacoma
Joe Fitzgibbon, State Representative, West Seattle
David Frockt, State Senator, Seattle
Mia Gregerson, State Representative, SeaTac
Bob Hasegawa, State Senator, Seattle
Sam Hunt, State Senator, Olympia
Karen Keiser, State Senator, Des Moines
Patty Kuderer, State Senator, Olympia
Mary Leavitt, State Representative, University Place
Debra Lekanoff, State Representative, Bellingham
Michael Lilliquist, City Council Member, Bellingham
Kelli Linville, Mayor, Bellingham
Liz Lovelett, State Senator, Anacortes
John McCoy, State Senator, Tulalip
Gerry Pollet, State Representative, Seattle
Chris Roberts, City Councilmember, Shoreline
Christine Rolfes, State Senator, Bainbridge Island
Cindy Ryu, State Representative, Seattle
Rebecca Saldana, State Senator, Seattle
Sharon Tomiko Santos, State Representative, Seattle
Lillian Ortiz-Self, State Representative, Mukilteo
Tana Senn, State Representative, Mercer Island
Derek Stanford, State Senator, Bothell
Hannah Stone, City Council Member/At-Large Representative, Bellingham
Gael Tarleton, State Representative, Seattle
Javier Valdez, State Representative, Seattle
Pinky Vargas, City Council Member, Bellingham
Amy Walen, State Representative, Kirkland
Wisconsin
Carousel Andrea Bayrd, County Commissioner, Dane County
Wyoming
Charles Pelkey, State Representative, Laramie