As the situation in Afghanistan winds to a chaotic end, several Oregon state Legislators have signed on to a letter addressed to Oregon Governor Kate Brown, "calling for the safe passage for people from Afghanistan who are facing immediate threats to their lives and the lives of their families."

The letter references SB 778, passed in the 2021 session which established within the office of the Governor the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement for the purpose of operating a statewide immigrant and refugee integration strategy. The bill faced only token opposition in the Senate and just 6 no votes in the House.

While few people oppose extending help to the unknown counts of refugees created and yet-to-be created by the chaos in Afghanistan, many see the current refugee system as subject to abuse and being used as a way around the legitimate immigration system.

The letter calls on the Biden administration to lift caps on refugees and then continues, "As a state, we must also take all the necessary steps to be prepared to resettle families when they arrive. Events in Afghanistan echo the departure of the United States from Saigon following the end of the Vietnam War. In 1975, the United States lifted refugee caps to allow more than 125,000 families to resettle in communities across the country."

the letter notes that "the United States has admitted more than three million refugees who have resettled in this country. Though refugees and immigrants have faced and continue to face significant barriers, they continue to demonstrate their dedication to serving the public and they add immense value to our communities.

The letter is signed by

Representative Khanh Pham, HD 46
Senator Kayse Jama, SD 24

Additional signers are,

Speaker Tina Kotek, HD 44
Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner, HD 45
Rep. Pam Marsh, HD 5
Rep. David Gomberg, HD 10
Rep. Marty Wilde, HD 11
Rep. John Lively, HD 12
Rep. Nancy Nathanson, HD 13
Rep. Julie Fahey, HD 14
Rep. Dan Rayfield, HD 16
Rep. Paul Evans, HD 20
Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, HD 22
Rep. Courtney Neron, HD 26
Rep. Wlnsvey Campos, HD 28
Rep. Susan McLain, HD 29
Rep. Brad Witt, HD 31
Rep. Maxine Dexter, HD 33
Rep. Ken Helm, HD 34
Rep. Dacia Grayber, HD 35
Rep. Lisa Reynolds, HD 36
Rep. Rachel Prusak, HD 37
Rep. Andrea Salinas, HD 38
Rep. Mark Meek, HD 40
Rep. Karin Power, HD 41
Rep. Rob Nosse, HD 42
Rep. Tawna Sanchez, HD 43
Rep. Andrea Valderrama, HD 47
Rep. Jeff Reardon, HD 48
Rep. Zach Hudson, HD 49
Rep. Ricki Ruiz, HD 50
Rep. Janelle Bynum, HD 51
Rep. Anna Williams, HD 52
Senate President Peter Courtney, SD 11
Majority Leader Rob Wagner, SD 19
Sen. Jeff Golden, SD 3
Sen. Floyd Prozanski, SD 4
Sen. Lee Beyer, SD 6
Sen. James Manning Jr., SD 7
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, SD 8
Sen. Deb Patterson, SD 10
Sen. Kate Lieber, SD 14
Sen. Chuck Riley, SD 15
Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, SD 17
Sen. Ginny Burdick, SD 18
Sen. Kathleen Taylor, SD 21
Sen. Lew Frederick, SD 22
Sen. Michael Dembrow, SD 23
Sen. Chris Gorsek, SD 25
Sen. Tim Knopp, SD 27
Sen. Bill Hansell, SD 29

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-19 10:05:04

Last Update: 2021-08-19 10:24:01