FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The ACLU of Wisconsin released the following statement about remarks from Wisconsin legislators about turning away Syrian refugees. The following statement can be attributed to Christopher Ahmuty, Executive Director of the ACLU of Wisconsin:
“We are saddened by calls from our governor and others to turn our backs on the world's most vulnerable people when they need us the most.
We mourn and condemn the horrific attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad. However, the attempt by Governor Walker and other lawmakers to draw a link between such tragedies and the admission and resettlement of Syrian refugees in Wisconsin is a reflexive overreaction. The U.S. already has an extremely rigorous and multi-layered security screening program in place for refugees seeking to resettle here. Attempting to shut out refugee resettlement in Wisconsin blames refugees for the very terror they are fleeing, and erodes our own civil liberties.
The governor's and other Wisconsin legislators’ position is badly wrong. It betrays Wisconsin values of hospitality and compassion, and flies in the face of the laws of this country. The brazenly discriminatory nature of this position raises grave legal concerns, and should be abhorrent to all Wisconsinites who believe in the values on which our country was founded.”
The ACLU of Wisconsin is a non-profit, non-partisan, private organization whose 7,000 members support its efforts to defend the civil rights and liberties of all Wisconsin residents. For more on the ACLU of Wisconsin, visit our website, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @ACLUofWisconsin and @ACLUMadison.
