Tonight,the UMass Undergraduate Student Senate on behalf of the entire student body revisited and approved a resolution calling upon the Governor to retract his insensitive and thoughtless comments on the Syrian refugee crisis.
This is the letter that will be sent to the Governor which I was a co-drafter of and terrifically happy the Senate passed tonight
Dear Governor Baker,
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Emma Lazarus
On January 8th 2015, you addressed the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in your inaugural address. In this address, you stated that “it [is] imperative that we renew our commitment and redouble our efforts to provide everyone, no matter where they live, with the kinds of opportunities that exist across our Commonwealth.” You were elected under these ideals and principles and we, University of Massachusetts Amherst Students, believe that you are not upholding these ideals. We feel compelled to share our deep disappointment in your decision that your administration, at this time, is “not interested in accepting refugees from Syria.” This statement is a cause for our concerns both as students of a diverse campus and as a critical component of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
We understand that you have concerns for the safety of the people of Massachusetts, due to the fact that the Commonwealth has been witness to terrorism in the past. That being said, Syrian refugees pose virtually no threat to the people of Massachusetts. There is an intensive, nine-stage process to aid in ensuring that these struggling families are thoroughly vetted. Eskinder Negash, senior vice president for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, estimated that the process each refugee must undergo takes about two years. While we share your desire for a safer Commonwealth, we trust in the following organizations, which every refugee must go through, to screen incoming immigrants: United Nations, the Resettlement Support Center, the National Counterterrorism Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, The Department of State, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Defense, the International Organization for Migration, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center, and the Transportation Security Administration. For this reason, we, the representatives of the University of Massachusetts flagship campus student body, do not share your reservations.
As you are well aware, this decision will have global consequences. We cannot allow ourselves to stand idle at a time of international need. We hold a deep belief that those who have the ability to act have the responsibility to act, and that as a state founded by those who were persecuted, it is our duty as well as our obligation to offer immediate shelter to those trapped in the circumstances of our founders. We urge you to reverse your decision on these refugees as quickly as possible, and we condemn your administration until we begin to accept those who ask for the most basic right of life.
Signed,
UMass Amherst Student Government Association
Graduate Student Senate
Students for Justice in Palestine
International Socialist Organization
Coalition to End Rape Culture
UMass for Bernie Sanders
J Street UMass
Divest
Muslim Student Association
