Officials: St. Louis Would Be Worse Place Without Immigrants
Date Posted: January 31, 2017
Posted In: Ideas,
From St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis leaders are decrying the Trump administration’s executive order that bars refugees from coming to the United States for 120 days. The order also prevents those from seven Muslim-majority countries – Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia – from entering the U.S. for 90 days.
At a news conference Monday, Mayor Francis Slay said the order is antithetical to what the city and the United States stands for. Slay said he wants immigrants and refugees who are already in St. Louis to know they are welcome, adding that a large immigrant community is a boon for the region’s economy and culture.
“To the people of St. Louis, I’m saying these are individuals that have come here for the same reasons our ancestors came here. My ancestors – my grandfather who came here from Syria – was on the Board of Alderman and on the state constitutional congress and he paved the way for his grandson to be mayor of St. Louis.” Slay said. “Almost all St. Louisans have some kind of immigrant background and you need to reflect upon that we’re here because we have a welcoming community.”
International Institute CEO Anna Crosslin said the executive order adversely impacts people who are vulnerable, and some who are dealing with medical issues. She also said there are some humanitarian and foreign policy considerations that make the executive order a bad idea.
“If the point of this (order) is in fact to make Americans safer, this legislation may in fact make us less safe both in the United States and for Americans who are around the world,” Crosslin said.