Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet issued the following statement on World Refugee Day:
“We mark World Refugee Day at a challenging moment. Although the number of refugees around the world is at the highest level in recent decades, the United States now admits fewer refugees than almost any time in our history. On America’s southern border, our government has met families seeking asylum by stripping children from parents, echoing some of the most shameful moments in our history.
“In these times, we are called to live up to our best moments as a nation. After the Second World War, America welcomed my grandparents and mother, who had survived the Holocaust, to rebuild their shattered lives. Like the millions who have come here fleeing persecution, my family owes everything to America’s ideals. Our history reminds us that America can, and must always remain, a beacon in the dark—but only if all of us keep it alight.”