Refugees Unintended Victims of Material Support Bar


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   Thousands of refugees who have already suffered persecution at the hands of some of the world's most repressive governments and brutal armed rebel movements are themselves being unfairly charged with supporting terrorism and denied admission to the United States under the "material support" provisions of the 2001 U.S. Patriot Act and the 2005 Real ID act.
   The misapplication of these antiterrorism laws to refugees is evident in the case of a Liberian refugee was denied resettlement in the United States because she fetched water and cooked for a notorious Liberian rebel group. No matter that her "material support" for the rebels came after they had kidnapped her family and repeatedly raped her and her 13-year-old daughter.
   A Burmese refugee, a member of the ethnic Chin minority, was denied asylum because he provided food and shelter to three soldiers from the Chin National Front (CNF) who visited his village. The Justice Department's Board of Immigration Appeals acknowledged that the man did not himself engage in any terrorist activities and "poses no danger whatsoever to the national security of the United States." The Board also wrote that it is "doubtful that the CNF would be considered a terrorist organization" since it engages primarily in "self-defense against the Burmese government, a known human rights abuser that has engaged in systematic persecution of Burmese ethnic minorities, including the Chin Christians," adding that the Burmese government is one of the "more repressive in the world" and "is not recognized by the United States as legitimate." Nonetheless, in denying the man's appeal for asylum, the Board concluded: "We cannot ignore the clear language that Congress choose in the material support provisions."
   Recognizing that refugees have become the unintended victims of this material support language, a bipartisan group in Congress is supporting a bill, H.R. 5918, introduced by Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA). H.R. 5918 would prevent legitimate pro-democracy movements from being classified as terrorist organizations. It also would prevent refugees from being denied admission to the U.S. refugee resettlement program on the basis of support they provided to terrorist groups under coercion or duress.
   H.R. 5918 needs more Congressional co-sponsors. The Refugee Council USA's website has extensive background information and links related to the material support admissions bar. We ask all those concerned about the labeling of bona fide refugees in need of protection as supporters of terrorism to bring this issue to the attention of your Congressional representatives and ask them to support H.R. 5918.