Boston, MA - Today Oxfam submitted an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court in support of plaintiffs challenging President Donald Trump’s harmful and discriminatory executive order on refugees and immigration.
“A cornerstone of the founding values of the US is to offer oppressed people refuge from violence and persecution, and we will continue to fight to uphold that legacy,” said Abby Maxman, President of Oxfam America. “As Americans we must open our minds, hearts, and borders to vulnerable refugees fleeing violence and persecution. We call on the Supreme Court to affirm the decisions of both the 4th and 9th Circuits that this illegal and immoral ban should not stand.”
“The administration has already tried multiple times to slam the door on refugees, but it is now up to the Supreme Court to keep the door open and affirm the core values of the United States,” continued Ms. Maxman. “This ban has already left tens of thousands of refugees in legal limbo, watching as the opportunity to be resettled in America slips through their fingers. For people who have already experienced so much suffering, this legal limbo just adds insult to injury as they watch their hopes to find safety in the US quickly fade.”
Oxfam has worked in more than 90 countries to end poverty and injustice over the past 70 years. Not only does Oxfam employ staff in four of the six banned countries, but Oxfam also provides lifesaving humanitarian assistance to refugees around the world. Oxfam is concerned that the executive order undermines its mission to help people escape violence and build better lives for themselves.
“This ban has already forced so many families here and abroad to make excruciating choices about travel and personal safety. The ban would also prevent organizations like Oxfam from using one of our key educational tools—bringing staff and affected individuals to the United States so they can bear witness to the hardships occurring overseas. These efforts are central to the effectiveness of our work by helping us to support local communities in these countries to end the injustice of poverty,” said Ms. Maxman.
The discriminatory Executive Order suspends all refugee admissions for 120 days and blocks citizens of six Muslim-majority countries, refugees or otherwise, from entering the United States for 90 days: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on October 10, 2017.
/ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Oxfam is represented by pro bono counsel Latham & Watkins. Oxfam was proud to file an amicus brief in support of plaintiffs challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order on refugees and immigration in both the 4th and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Oxfam had previously joined with the ACLU of Massachusetts and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s first executive order on refugees and immigrants.
Oxfam has worked in more than 90 countries to end poverty and injustice over the past 70 years. Oxfam employs staff in four of the six banned countries, and also provides lifesaving humanitarian assistance to refugees around the world.
The executive order suspends all refugee admissions for 120 days and blocks citizens of six Muslim-majority countries, refugees or otherwise, from entering the United States for 90 days: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
