Statement from the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut Executive Director, Stephen Glassman, on Connecticut’s Continuing Commitment to Accept Refugees

“The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut applauds the leadership that many of our elected officials have displayed by bucking the anti-refugee, fear-mongering, Islamophobic demagoguery of many other states’ governors. By reinforcing our commitment to welcome  people in desperate circumstances, Governor Dannel Malloy, Senator Chris Murphy, Senator Richard Blumenthal and many others, are not just honoring basic human decency but also the laws of this country. As my ACLU colleagues have pointed out, the federal government decides who is admitted into this country, not the states, and all ‘legally admitted noncitizens are free to live in any state so long as they comply with any federal requirements.’

“In addition, discrimination based on national origin, religion, and ancestry is clearly unconstitutional. The same fear tactics and stereotyping have been used against Germans, Italians, Irish, Chinese, Catholics, and Jews more than 100 years ago, as well as the Vietnamese after the conclusion of the Viet Nam war in 1975. We are proud to see that Connecticut’s leaders have taken the  responsible course of action and not callously targeted the victims of violence and starvation with hateful rhetoric. We welcome our future neighbors to the Constitution State and will work to protect their individual freedoms just as vigorously as those who have arrived here as refugees over the last two hundred years.”