Christians fleeing religious persecutions abroad are increasingly denied access to safety in the U.S according to a new report urging the Trump administration to reverse the trend. It is reported the U.S. is on track to accept 90% fewer Christian refugees in 2020 than five years earlier from countries where Christians are most persecuted.
The World Relief CEO Tim Breene stated in a webinar releasing the report:
"Since the Refugee Act of 1980, more than 3 million refugees have come to the United States,"
Open Doors CEO David Curry, describing Open Doors as a non-political group also said President Donald Trump's administration's protection of religious freedoms should also extend to refugees.
"I have no problem applauding the way this State Department has addressed religious liberty,"
"This is a shortcoming."
"The secretary of state and others within the State Department need to recognize now, three years into this administration, that they have fallen down on this issue."
"This is an opportunity for them to really, I think, speak to people of faith around the world whose lives are in danger, who have been unsettled from their homes, targeted by governments, targeted by extremist groups,"
"This is an opportunity for them and they need to step up."
Refugees are defined as those who have left their country of origin, have a credible fear of persecution based on race, religion, political opinion, national origin, or membership in a particular social group, and are unable to secure protection from their local governments.
While nearly 39,000 asylum seekers were accepted into the U.S. in 2018, either by the Department of Homeland Security or by an immigration judge, changes in U.S. law have made it increasingly difficult for asylum seekers to gain access to due process.
Open Doors stated they will follow up its report by meeting with the U.S. State Department by asking International Ambassador for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback to include Open Doors in a July 14 roundtable.
Open Door and World Relief are continuously asking the U.S government to prioritize the advancement of international religious freedom to leverage diplomatic pressure in urging all countries to reduce religious persecution.
In the midst of persecution, Open Doors and World Relief also encouraged U.S. Christians to pray for persecuted Christians throughout the world, and for displaced people of all faiths.
