FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2019
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia
(802) 734-0617
Mayor Miro Weinberger Denounces Trump Administration Decision to Slash America’s Refugee Program
Burlington, VT – Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s decision to slash America’s refugee program, and accept only 18,000 refugees during the next 12 months, down from 30,000 this past year and 110,000 during President Obama’s final year in office:
“Over the summer, I was one of more than 380 elected officials from across the country who signed a letter to President Trump urging him to restore our refugee program to its historic strength. Instead, this week, he has slashed the program once again, continuing his assault on the legal immigration system that built this country, made America a beacon of hope in the world, and dramatically strengthened Burlington over the last three decades. The timing of this decision is devastating, coming at a moment of massive international suffering and upheaval.
The New Americans who have made Burlington their home, including those who have come through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, have made our community stronger. As our friends and colleagues, former refugees in Burlington have added their ideas, skills, and experiences to our City, benefited our economy, and broadened our collective view of the world. Yet, now, this added strength to our community is in decline: While we welcomed 386 people to Chittenden County through the refugee resettlement program in 2016, that number plummeted to just 115 people in 2019 as a result of Trump Administration policy. This latest cut will certainly reduce this number even further.
I will continue to call for change at the federal level and seek ways to ensure that former refugees and all other New Americans here in Burlington know that they are welcome and that we are glad to have them as our neighbors.”
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