Friend, Governor Greg Abbott is turning his back on our country’s values by announcing that Texas will refuse to participate in the federal refugee resettlement program.

We know that decisions and policies in the Trump administration are set by avowed white nationalists. And instead of denouncing the executive order that allows states to opt out of accepting refugees, Governor Abbott has marked Texas as the first state to refuse refugees under the new rule, to our shame.

We can’t let our state be defined by its smallest minds. It’s not just that accepting refugees seeking safety from persecution, violence, and war is the moral decision -- it is backward-looking and leaves us worse off as a state.

Refugees make our country better, full stop. The ideas, the ambition, the creativity they bring make our state, our culture, and our communities successful -- and by denying them the opportunity to strengthen Texas, we all lose. Abbott's announcement is as inhumane and morally small as it is self-defeating and based on false logic. Welcoming refugees isn't just the moral thing to do -- it makes our state greater.

Extremist politicians like Roger Williams and Greg Abbott have been trying to use fear to divide Texans with pettiness and smallness and anti-immigrant sentiment for years. And it's why we need to change our leadership at every level.

In Congress, I’m committed to doing my part to re-establish our country’s reputation as a place that welcomes those in need. If you’re with me, I hope you’ll consider contributing to this campaign.

Thank you,

Julie

P.S. Please read this op-ed in the Houston Chronicle that eloquently denounces Abbott's decision.

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