(Sacramento)- The California Legislative Jewish Caucus condemns President Trump’s reported orders to build a wall on the Mexican-American border and plan to block refugees from entering the United States.
As Jews we have seen this before. In 1939, the SS Saint Louis was turned away from the Port of Miami. More than one quarter of the passengers on the ship died in the Holocaust. Many immigrants entering the United States have fled incredible violence at home and are seeking a safe place for their families. The United States should never again repeat the mistakes of the past and should help these refugees instead of turning them away.
Today, refugees fleeing similarly desperate circumstances are struggling to build new lives in Europe and the United States. More than 400,000 Syrians have died in the Syrian Civil War, with more than 4.8 million refugees spread throughout the Middle East.
“America must not turn away refugees at their greatest moment of need,” said Assemblymember Marc Levine, Chair of the Jewish Caucus. “The California Legislative Jewish Caucus strongly condemns President Trump’s executive orders. Xenophobic immigration policies during WWII resulted in the deaths of thousands of Jews fleeing the Holocaust. We can keep our country safe and be welcoming to refugees. They deserve the chance Jews on the SS Saint Louis never had, the ability to rebuild their lives and become contributing members of our society.”
Members of the Caucus include Chairman Marc Levine, Vice Chair Ben Allen, Assemblymembers Marc Berman, Richard Bloom, Laura Friedman, Adrin Nazarian, Blanca Rubio, Tony Thurmond, Jose Medina and Senators Steve Glazer, Bob Hertzberg, Hannah-Beth Jackson, Henry Stern, Scott Wiener and Josh Newman.