Faith groups in United States are lobbying for allowing in more asylum seekers from Syria, and are trying to fight against the opposition posed by political leaders at federal and state levels.
Several lawmakers in Congress have called to cease the ongoing process of resettling Syrian refugees in US, while 31 governors have said they will not permit asylum to Syrians in the aftermath of the November 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people.
A bill blocking Syrian and Iraqi refugees passed with 289-137 votes in the House of Representatives on November 19. It will be introduced in the Senate after Thanksgiving. The Obama Administration has promised to veto the legislation, if passed.
Religious organizations are urging the government to act on compassionate grounds and let the refugees fleeing terror in their own country have a safe haven in the U.S.
"We are horrified and heartbroken by the terrorist atrocities in Paris, but must not forget that there are thousands more victims of these same terrorists who are fleeing Syria with their families and desperately need some place to go. Our system is designed to keep terrorists out and to help desperate families with little children. We want to help the victims of terrorism in the Middle East, not punish them," Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), wrote on the organization's website this week.
Faith-based organizations are the main force behind the Refugee Resettlement Program, which connects the refugees to services for accommodation, jobs, and schooling for their children. The organizations are now being opposed by lawmakers who have concerns about infiltration of militants through the immigration process.
"We're really in emergency mode. We're talking to the media nonstop. We are sending letters and petitions and making phone calls to all the governors as well as to members of Congress right now. Every voice is needed to make sure they understand just how important the resettlement program is," Jen Smyers of Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service was quoted as saying by the Religion News Service.
Many of the religious leaders have gone to Washington to be able to influence the bill in the Senate. They called for countering the hostility toward the refugees through efforts at the local levels.
After the Paris attacks, ISIS announced their next target would be New York and Washington, even as it was earlier reported that some of the terrorists behind the Paris mayhem slipped into Europe amid refugees.
According to a recent online poll by NBC News, 56 percent of Americans want to ban Syrian refugees from entering the U.S.
Linda Hartke, President of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service said in her blog that Americans need to stand for those who are victims of the destructive civil war in Syria.
"To close the door on resettling Syrian refugees would be nothing less than signing a death warrant for tens of thousands of families fleeing for their very lives. As Christians, as Americans, and as global citizens - we must choose to stand for hope and life. We are a nation and people that stand up to those who slaughter innocents. We stand with the most vulnerable who seek safety and a future. And we stand for welcome."
