CGRS Stands Strongly With Refugee and Immigrant Communities

Like many of our allies in the movement for immigrant and refugee rights, we at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS) have been deeply shaken by the virulent racism, misogyny, and anti-immigrant rhetoric that has plagued the 2016 election cycle. Our president-elect has proposed building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, excluding all Muslim refugees and immigrants on the basis of their religion, and deporting millions of our immigrant community members, including many refugees. These proposed policies and the rhetoric around them run contrary to America’s most cherished values of dignity, equality, and respect for human rights. They violate our Constitution, our domestic and international legal obligations, and our moral character as a nation.

In these trying times, we stand in coalition and solidarity with refugee and immigrant communities and affirm our commitment to do all we can to protect the rights of asylum seekers, including women, children, and LGBT individuals.

The United States has long served as a safe haven for those fleeing persecution in their home countries. In the face of a global refugee crisis and a humanitarian emergency of unprecedented scale at our southern border, we will counter any efforts to circumvent the fundamental rights of refugees with unwavering resolve. Our fight for universal legal representation and due process for immigrants and asylum seekers continues. Our fight for child- and gender-sensitive asylum standards continues. Our fight to end the inhumane mass detention of asylum seekers, including women and families, continues. Our fight to ensure protection for those fleeing violence and deteriorating conditions in the Northern Triangle, Haiti, and countries around the world continues. We stand together with immigrants, refugees, and advocates and prepare to fight now, harder than ever, to realize our vision of a world where no one is subject to persecution because of their gender, race, religion, age, sexual orientation or gender identity, or fundamental beliefs.

CGRS joins the growing chorus of advocates standing up for refugee and immigrant rights:   

• American Civil Liberties Union
• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• California Immigrant Policy Center
• Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement
• Detention Watch Network
• HIAS
• Human Rights First
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
• Tahirih Justice Center

We encourage you to share widely these critical Know Your Rights resources:

• Red Cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
• The ACLU on what to do if questioned about your immigration status (Spanish) and if ICE is at your door (Spanish)
• Resources from the National Immigration Law Center, including information on the rights of those participating in demonstrations
• A helpful list of Know Your Rights resources from Northwest immigrant Rights Project
• Tips for immigrant detainees and their families from Families for Freedom

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CGRS works to defend the fundamental human rights of refugee women, children, LGBT individuals, and others who flee persecution in their home countries. We combine legal strategies with policy advocacy and human rights interventions to secure greater protections for refugees and asylum seekers. To learn about opportunities to volunteer, please visit our Get Involved page. You can also support us by donating here.