Among the 65 million displaced persons around the world, every single one of them has a story.
When Layla and her husband left their home in the Somali region of Ethiopia, they hoped to flee persecution for a safer life. Unfortunately, when her husband was deported from their temporary home in Saudi Arabia, Layla’s story to reach safety was only just beginning.
Despite the hardship she experienced along her dangerous, tenuous journey via Syria and Turkey, Layla and her two young children finally resettled to the U.S. in 2015 with IRAP’s help. However, their story doesn’t end here. Layla and her family have built a loving home in Maine, where her children go to school and she has been able to study and work and give back to the community.
“[It’s] better than my home, because I live safe,” recalls Layla.
While resettlement was a lifeline to Layla and her family, the U.S. refugee resettlement program is currently under attack. After suspending the program for 120 days with his Muslim ban Executive Order, the Trump Administration recently imposed new refugee restrictions that effectively put on hold the resettlement process for thousands of refugees, most of them from Muslim-majority countries. If Layla and her children were still refugees today, this policy would prevent them from reaching safety.
We won’t let that happen.
On December 21st, we’re heading to court to fight back against this harmful policy.
As we raise our voices for #NoMuslimBanEVER, we ask that you watch and share Layla’s story and help amplify the voices of those affected by the cruel and unjust refugee ban.
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