Press Contact:
Elliot Levy
Press Contact
202-800-7409
Release Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2017
New York – In response to the introduction of the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Economy (RAISE) Act by Senators Tom Cotton and David Purdue, with the support of President Trump, Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, said:
“Millions of American Jews owe our very lives to the fact that we and our ancestors were able to immigrate to this country. Both our lived experience as a people, and our faith calls upon us to welcome the stranger. The RAISE Act is an attack on immigrants and refugees, and on the core principles of our nation.
We've seen this before. This bill echoes The Immigration Act of 1924, a nativist anti-immigrant law that targeted Southern and Eastern Europeans, leading to great suffering and loss of life. The RAISE Act is just a modern day version of this - an attempt to falsely and maliciously portray immigrants as the source of our society’s problems.
Don’t be fooled by attempts to obscure the bill’s intentions. It will undermine our country’s entire immigration system and split families apart in the process. We cannot and will not stand by as President Trump, the white nationalists in his administration, and Senate Republicans attempt to divide us and do even more damage to America’s heritage as a nation of immigrants.”
