As rumors burble that the U.S. State Department may cap refugee admissions at zero next year, it is a fact that they reduced the cap from 45,000 to 30,000 for 2019. Now, enter, Rep. Carla Piluso, D-Gresham and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon at a roundtable organized by Unite Oregon.
The nonprofit held the event at its East Portland office on Saturday amid worrying reports that President Trump’s policy adviser, Stephen Miller, is pushing to cap refugee admissions at zero in 2020.
According to the Portland Tribune, Wyden, the son of parents who fled Nazi Germany, said, “Opposing zero caps, supporting resettlement policy, standing up for comprehensive immigration reform — these are principles that in America we have held dear for decades.”
Wyden who is also a pediatrician, recently made headlines when he traveled to the southern border and encountered a Mexican woman with pregnancy complications, ultimately helping her apply for asylum.
Piluso said, “In 2019, the legislature stood up and said Oregon won’t be the amazing place we love without immigrants and refugees.” Piluso is referring to state lawmakers funding the Department of Human Services with an additional $2 million for refugee resettlement and case management services for asylum.
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