Refugee Congress Expresses Grief for the Tragic Deaths of Migrants in San Antonio and Calls for Action
For Immediate Release: June 29, 2022
WASHINGTON–Refugee Congress is devastated by the news that more than 50 migrants have died in a truck in San Antonio. We mourn for the loss of their lives and call for our leaders to take action.
“We are completely devastated over the numerous lives lost at the cost of seeking refuge. We mourn for the people who lost their lives and keep the survivors in our thoughts as they fight for their lives,” said Lourena Gboeah, Chair of the Refugee Congress Board of Directors. “People who leave their countries of origin and loved ones are coming to the U.S. to seek safety and build their lives. We must be a country that welcomes and protects people seeking refuge, not a place where they face further risks and death. We call on our leaders to end discriminatory and dangerous policies like Title 42 and Remain in Mexico and put an end to these preventable tragedies.”
Refugee Congress joined other members of the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign to release a statement yesterday calling on our leaders for action. This and other tragedies like it are preventable.
"It is very devastating to watch, in this 21st century, the death of migrants seeking protection in a nation that is supposed to be welcoming. We need to take action to protect the vulnerable and people seeking safety. We are urging our leaders to take action to end the inhumane policies that put individuals seeking protection in a deadly situation,” said Sharon Njie, Refugee Congress Delegate for Louisiana.
“The recent human tragedy in San Antonio evidences that inhumane and restrictive immigration policies are failed and misdirected attempts at fixing the immigration crisis. Severe immigration policies and rhetoric further endangers human lives, inflames xenophobia and exacerbates the splintered immigration system. Humanitarian immigration reform is necessary to ensure that humans seeking safety are provided with welcome, dignity, safety and refuge,” said Nga Vương-Sandoval, Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate for Colorado.
As an organization built and led by former refugees, asylees and other vulnerable migrants, we know firsthand the ways that policies can be welcoming or restrictive, and can ensure safety or place migrants in danger.
“We share the suffering and the pain with the families who lost their loved ones in this truck,” said Paul Mwingwa, Refugee Congress Delegate for Montana. “It is easy to understand that migrants leave their countries because their lives are in danger. Because we refused to open our doors to them, they had to risk their lives. This is the time to challenge the leaders in this country. It's time to multiply our advocacy. Everyone has the right to seek safety. In this country, there is room for everyone. Let’s stand together with migrants.”
Discriminatory and dangerous policies like Title 42 and Remain in Mexico are designed to restrict asylum-seekers. We must enable people to safely seek refuge and build better futures.
“I was so saddened by this terrible loss of life. Because I am a former refugee and I am connected with the refugee and immigrant community in the U.S., I am shocked, and my heart literally hurts for these people who died in such an inhumane way. I wish the path for migrants was made easier legally, so such desperate attempts are not made,” said Dianne Mogilevsky Carty, Refugee Congress Delegate for Missouri.
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Refugee Congress is a nonpartisan advocacy organization built and led by former refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants to promote the well-being, integration and dignity of all vulnerable migrants. With delegates across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we use our voices and experiences to inform and influence decision-makers on critical domestic and international issues that affect our communities.
MEDIA CONTACT: (202) 905-6238, media@refugeecongress.org
