Jewish groups decry Trump draft order temporarily barring some refugees

Several, mainly liberal, Jewish groups have decried a leaked draft of an executive order from President Donald Trump that would temporarily bar refugees and immigrants from some Muslim countries from entering the United States.

The draft, which was leaked to the media Wednesday, bars the entrance of noncitizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia, for 30 days. It also suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, and bans refugees from Syria from entering the US until further notice. When the refugee program resumes, the government may prioritize asylum claims from members of persecuted religious minorities.

The executive order would begin to make good on Trump’s pledge during the campaign to bar Muslims, later amended to citizens of countries compromised by terrorism, from entering the United States. A chorus of Jewish groups criticized the proposal when Trump first announced it in 2015, and several Jewish groups slammed it again Wednesday.

The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement “unambiguously” condemning the draft order and calling it a “death sentence” for those fleeing violence.

“History will look back on this order as a sad moment in American History – the time when the president turned his back on people fleeing for their lives. This will effectively shut America’s doors to the most vulnerable people in the world who seek refuge from unspeakable pain and suffering,” said CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.

“For the Sunni family whose son languishes in prison in Iran because of his faith, for the former Army translator in Iraq who has been threatened because of his service, LGBT youth in Yemen terrorized by Islamists because of his lifestyle, for the widows and orphans caught between the barrel bombs of Assad’s regime and the unparalleled brutality of ISIS, this executive order could very well be a death sentence,” he went on.

“Yes, we need strict screening but these are people who are fleeing horrifying terror and unimaginable violence. To shut the door on them not only makes little sense, but it is cruel and contrary to the values of our country – a nation founded by refugees fleeing religious persecution and strengthened by waves of immigrants.”

The ADL vowed to “relentlessly…fight this policy in the weeks and months to come.”

“As Jews, we recognize the danger in any action that singles out people based on their religious beliefs,” read a statement by Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center, the Reform movement’s legislative advocacy arm. “If the order is issued as anticipated, it is deeply troubling, rooted in exclusion and discrimination, and echoes the most shameful parts of our history. ”

Other groups also recalled past Jewish suffering in opposing the executive order. Ahead of the Holocaust, the United States denied entry to Jewish refugees, most notably turning back the M.S. St. Louis, a ship carrying nearly 1,000 German Jews.

“Making decisions on who is welcome in our country based solely on their religion or national origin is fundamentally un-American,” said a statement by Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, a liberal advocacy group. “As Jews, we know what it’s like to be scapegoated and we will not be silent now.”

Bend The Arc endorsed a rally opposing the executive order to be held Wednesday in front of the White House. Other groups that oppose the draft order include the American Jewish World Service, which provides aid to poor countries, and Jewish Voice for Peace, which endorses the movement to boycott Israel.