///Rapid Response 03/16/06
Refugees denied entry to United States

The USA Patriot Act and the Real ID Act have broadened the definition of a terrorist group and what constitutes support of terror. Refugee status is being denied to anyone who gave ?material support? to ?a foreign terrorist organization.? ?Material support? is being broadly defined, and includes any financial, physical or material assistance, no matter how small.

Refugees are being denied the opportunity to resettle in the United States and those here could be deported because of these laws. This is happening to several nationalities including Burmese, Colombians, Hmong, and Montanyard refugees who resisted the authority of their governments or who were forced to aid resistance movements. Even small donations of water or rice to resistance movements is being associated with material support for terror. It doesn?t matter if refugees were coerced under threat of harm is they refused.

One example is:
A Burmese family, who has been persecuted by their country's harsh military government, provides two days' worth of food and shelter to a few members of a pro- democracy group fighting the Burmese dictatorship, a brutal government the U.S. opposes. Because this pro-democracy group is armed, the U.S. denies the family refugee resettlement for having offered "material assistance" to a "foreign terrorist organization."

Another example is:
A man in Columbia accedes to the FARC's demands for money in order to save his own life and prevent the rape of his wife.  According to the U.S., he is offering "material assistance" to an armed “terrorist organization.”  Although the couple would have been murdered if they did not pay this money, the payment that saved their lives now bars them from the U.S. refugee program.

The U.S. State Department anticipates that the “material support” part of the terrorism legislation could potentially affect the admission of 16,000 refugees this year, and many are already being held up in refugee camps overseas.  The law allows for waivers to the material support provisions, but those waivers have not yet been implemented for refugees.

Refugee advocates request your help in contacting Senators and Representatives to ask them to work with President Bush and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers are not unintended victims of the war on terrorism.  Waivers should be given for providing material support for refugees who were under duress or threat of violence, who gave support inadvertently, or who gave an insignificant amount.

A Sample letter follows:
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Dear Senator______________ or Representative ____________________:

Thousands of refugees and asylum seekers are being denied protection and resettlement in the United States under the "material support" provisions of the USA Patriot Act and the Real ID Act.  Please contact President Bush and ask him to instruct DHS Secretary Chertoff to apply the material support provisions solely to those who intend to harm our country and not to genuine refugees in need of protection.

Please let the President and Secretary Chertoff know that it is not Congress's intent to bar deserving refugees through these provisions.  Ask them to interpret the provisions so that they do not bar refugees, by using a waiver for refugees. This would include group waivers for compelling populations such as Burmese, Colombian, Hmong, and Montagnard refugees.

All of these populations provided "material support" under duress, often with threats to their lives.  In many cases the amount was insignificant or given inadvertently without direct intent to help an armed group in opposition to the government in power.  

It is important that we guard our national security, but it is equally important that we do not turn away the very people we are working to protect or who have a history of working with the United States to advance democracy throughout the world.

Sincerely,

Your name and contact info   
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You can find your representatives at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/ .
[Select link to House of Representatives or Senate.]

Thank you for your willingness to take action.