The original text of this letter was provided by Oxfam, an international rescue organization that I support financially. I made some changes to the Oxfam version to personalize it for myself. My input is shown in italics. The rest is copied from the text provided by Oxfam. Here is a link to the Oxfam website with the original text of the letter for anyone wishing to send a similar letter to President Trump.
https://secure2.oxfamamerica.org/page/speakout/abandon-the-ban
It's Happening Again!
Eighty years ago an evil Dictator took over Germany. He murdered millions of people for no other reasons than their religion, race, disabilities, or THE COUNTRIES THEY CAME FROM.
I know you are not an evil person, but you are repeating the same vile actions as Hitler. Your attempt to shut out people from several Muslim majority nations and suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program runs counter to the fundamental values that we cherish as Americans.
Today, 65 million people have been forced to flee their homes from unspeakable horror due to conflict, violence, and persecution.
The US refugee resettlement program already thoroughly vets refugees. It’s an exhaustive screening process that can take over two years due to required screenings, in-person interviews, investigations, and clearance by a host of US government agencies including the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and intelligence agencies. There are no shortcuts.
Tens of thousands of refugees are scheduled to arrive over the next 4 months - women, men, and children who had already completed years of rigorous vetting – have been impacted by the ban.
I beg you to please abandon your attempts to block vulnerable refugee families from seeking safety in the United States. Do not send these people back to a terrible fate such as what happened to Jews, Poles, Gypsies, Dwarfs, and millions of others under the Nazis.
The US has safely resettled tens of thousands of Muslim refugees over the years who have not only become US citizens, but who have also enriched the country economically, socially, and culturally.
As my Grandmother used to say, "Be a mensch." Do the right thing, not the political thing or the cowardly thing, but the RIGHT THING, and let these people in.
