May 25, 2017
Press Contacts:
Miji Bell
mbell@lirs.org; 410-230-2841
Michelle Blundell
mblundell@mrss.com; 202-478-6176
WASHINGTON, DC – Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) applauds today’s decision by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the decision by Maryland District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang to issue a nationwide preliminary injunction prohibiting the enforcement of the 90-day ban against travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
“In its first 100 days, we have seen efforts to block refugees and migrants who are fleeing violence in their homeland from entering our country,” said Linda Hartke, LIRS President and CEO. “The notion that certain countries or ethnicities pose more of a danger than others is baseless at best,” Hartke added.
“As Christians, we are called to provide places of safety and protection for those fleeing danger. Today’s decision is a reminder that our American ideals of compassion, acceptance, and love should continue to prevail.”
Today’s ruling upholds the preliminary injunction against the six-country ban issued by a federal judge in Maryland in February. Separately, a preliminary injunction on the section of the executive order that targeted the U.S Refugee Admissions Program was issued earlier this year by a U.S. District Court in Hawaii.
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Founded in 1939, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is the second largest refugee resettlement agency in the United States. It is nationally recognized for its leadership advocating with refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, immigrants in detention, families fractured by migration and other vulnerable populations. Through more than 75 years of service and advocacy, LIRS has helped over 500,000 migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in America.