WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today served as ranking member of a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration entitled Oversight of the Administration's FY17 Refugee Resettlement Program.
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“We are in the midst of the largest refugee crisis in history,” said Durbin. “More than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes. The brutal Syrian conflict, the epicenter of this crisis, has killed hundreds of thousands, injured more than a million, and displaced more than half of Syria’s entire population. In some areas children are starving to death.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks is available for TV Stations using FTP in high definition here and in standard definition here.
High ranking intelligence and military leaders have also argued that accepting refugees protects our national security. Durbin quoted Michael Hayden, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency in the Bush Administration, and James Stavridis, former NATO supreme allied commander:
“It’s ironic, to say the least, that today some politicians are seeking to shut out refugees in the name of national security. The global refugee crisis is straining the resources and infrastructures of Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, which are hosting the vast majority of Syrian refugees. By doing more to host and help refugees, the United States would safeguard the stability of these nations and thereby advance its own national security interests. Moreover, hostility to refugees helps ISIS. Conversely, welcoming refugees regardless of their religion, nationality, or race exposes the falseness of terrorist propaganda and counters the warped vision of extremists.”
