Carolina Jews for Justice and the Stan Greenspon Center, in partnership with the HIAS Welcome Campaign, Church World Service-Durham, and World Relief-Durham, invite all people of conscience, regardless of faith or affiliation, to join us in calling on Governor Cooper to affirm that he will continue to welcome the resettlement of refugees in our state. As North Carolinians and as Jews, we are committed to welcoming refugees as they seek the same promise of safety and prosperity that first drew many of our own ancestors to this land, and we are dedicated to supporting them as they resettle in our communities.

Please join us by signing below!

Dear Governor Cooper,

Your Refugees Welcome Proclamation affirms that our nation should be a home for people who have been oppressed or persecuted, and that North Carolina is a pillar of hospitality, home to a diverse population of refugees and immigrants who have added to the economic strength and cultural richness of our communities.

Sadly, that reality is put in doubt by the unprecedented actions of the Trump administration in both lowering the number of refugees to be admitted annually to just 18,000 (the historic average is 95,000) and issuing an executive order, whose legality will likely be challenged, announcing that states and localities can veto refugee resettlement in their communities. These policies are not only an abdication of federal authority, but also threaten the future of the U.S. Refugee Admissions program. 

Your continued commitment to refugees is critical in this moment. As your constituents, we call on you to write the Secretary of State and publicly affirm on every platform available to you that refugee resettlement will continue in North Carolina.