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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 25, 2017 CONTACT: info@poligonnational.org Washington, D.C. - Poligon Education Fund condemns President Trump’s executive order to institute “extreme vetting” procedures for refugees seeking admittance into the United States, along with a 90-day restriction on refugee resettlement for stateless Palestinians and citizens from 11 countries. Unofficial reports indicate that the 11 countries come from a pre-existing list of countries designated for Security Advisory Opinion refugee screenings, and nine of the countries - Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen - are predominantly Muslim. In addition to new mandates including social media checks, the executive order requires refugee status applicants to provide detailed background information such as employment for the past ten years, doubling the existing requirement of five years. Applicants will also be required to list addresses for all immediate family members, which could be infeasible if some family members are also escaping conflict. "Refugees already go through a rigorous vetting process to gain entry to the United States, and there is no evidence that refugees are a security threat to our country," said Afif Rahman, Acting Executive Director of Poligon Education Fund. "These burdensome new requirements will severely reduce the number of refugees admitted. By specifically targeting countries with large Muslim populations, this executive order reflects a flawed, prejudiced view of Muslims as inherently threatening to our national security. It is effectively a refugee ban and a Muslim ban by another name, and it goes against our country’s values of rejecting religious and ethnic discrimination." Poligon supports the continuation of the United States’ tradition of welcoming refugees, and continues to work with members of Congress toward this end. With the administration’s repeated use of divisive rhetoric and promulgation of unfounded narratives and discriminatory policies around refugee resettlements, Congress must urgently execute its responsibility to block such an irresponsible course of action and protect the promise of the United States as a land of prosperity and refuge for all. Poligon Education Fund is a non profit, non-partisan organization working to strengthen Muslim American engagement with Congress through research and education on issues of concern to the community and its allies. Learn more at www.poligonnational.org. ###
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OCTOBER 17, 2017 CONTACT: info@poligonnational.org Washington, D.C. - Poligon Education Fund supports U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson’s order to block President Trump’s third travel ban nationwide, on the day before the ban was set to take full effect. The travel ban seeks to prevent immigrants and many visitors from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen - as well as certain Venezuelan government officials and their families - from entering the United States. Six of the eight countries affected are majority-Muslim. Watson has blocked the implementation of the ban for all affected countries except North Korea and Venezuela, saying in his ruling that the ban "suffers from the same maladies as its predecessor" and "plainly discriminates based on nationality." "Just like past versions of the ban that have also been stopped by the courts, this new ban violates our nation’s principles of equality and tolerance without doing anything to enhance national security." said Poligon Board Member Ayesha Ali. "Although the court’s decision is a temporary measure against the ban, it will be a relief to many Americans with relatives in the targeted countries." Poligon will continue to oppose any further versions of this discriminatory ban and encourage members of Congress to do the same. Poligon Education Fund is a non profit, non-partisan organization working to strengthen Muslim American engagement with Congress through research and education on issues of concern to the community and its allies. Learn more at www.poligonnational.org. ### OCTOBER 2, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: info@poligonnational.org Washington, D.C. - Poligon Education Fund offers its condolences to the victims and families affected by last night’s mass shooting at Route 91 Harvest Festival near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. In light of the tragedy being one of the deadliest mass shootings in the country’s history, Poligon also continues to urge members of Congress to take actions to prevent similar tragedies in the future: “Thoughts and prayers from our elected officials are not enough,” said Afif Rahman, Acting Executive Director of Poligon Education Fund. “Mass shootings have been occurring with alarming regularity in recent years, and Congress must work to enact policies - such as increased support for mental health care and common-sense restrictions on access to guns - that will directly address this unique threat to Americans’ safety.” Mass shootings affect communities of all races, classes, and religious backgrounds, and thus Americans must come together as one to stand against gun violence. In June, Poligon Education Fund partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety’s Wear Orange campaign, which seeks to raise awareness about gun violence in America and promote policy solutions for gun violence prevention. Poligon Education Fund is a non profit, non-partisan organization working to strengthen Muslim American engagement with Congress through research and education on issues of concern to the community and its allies. Learn more at www.poligonnational.org. ###
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Poligon Education FundA 501c3 non-partisan, non-profit organization providing research and education on issues of concern to Muslim Americans and their allies.
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