World Refugee Day

Floor Speech

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Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of World Refugee Day and in support of the community of refugees who have resettled in my district.

One of these refugees is Kifah Abdulla, who lived in Baghdad until war broke out at home. He spent over 8 years as a prisoner of war. He was isolated because of his activism against the dictatorship.

He was a refugee for 11 years in Amman, Jordan, and 5 years in the Netherlands, before coming to Portland, Maine in 2011. He is now an Arabic teacher, a published poet, a performer, and an activist.

There is a reason America has signed international treaties and passed laws giving shelter to those fleeing persecution. Many refugees, like Mr. Abdulla, were jailed or tortured because they protested, organized, or challenged their government. These values are at the core of our Nation.

Every year, refugees travel 1.2 billion miles in search of safety. And right now, we are in the midst of the greatest refugee crisis since World War II. Sadly, when people fleeing the violence need us most, the administration has dramatically reduced refugee admissions.

In a Nation where nearly all of us have come ``from away,'' as we say in Maine, I urge us all to make our communities warm, safe, and welcoming to refugees across the globe.

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