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Faith-based groups sue to deny locals a say in refugee resettlement

Immigrant-rights advocates turned to the courts and Congress on Thursday to try to revive America’s refugee program, which they say has been left on life support after three years of Trump administration attacks.

Religious groups filed a lawsuit in federal court in Maryland seeking to block President Trump’s new executive order giving localities a veto over whether refugees can be resettled within their boundaries.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, top Democrats announced new legislation that would reverse the tighter restrictions Mr. Trump has imposed on the refugee and asylum systems.

For one, the bill would require the president to set an annual cap of no fewer than 95,000 refugees admitted. That would be more refugees than the U.S. has taken in any year since 1995.

The legislation, led by Sen. Patrick Leahy, Vermont Democrat, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, California Democrat, would also unwind many of Mr. Trump’s stiffer asylum policies, which were imposed to try to stem the surge of migrants that overwhelmed the border this year.

The new bill also would expand the grounds for receiving asylum protection, making claims based on family violence or gang threats viable. The Trump administration says asylum or refugee status should be for people fleeing government persecution, and the government has taken steps to limit successful cases to block domestic violence or gang violence as valid reasons.

“As the world faces the worst refugee crisis in recorded history, the United States should be embracing our role as the humanitarian leader of the world — not retreating from it, as the Trump administration has shamefully done,” Mr. Leahy said.

Fonte: washingtontimes.com

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