Faith leaders gathered in front of the White House on Wednesday to wash the feet of refugees and protest the record low number of refugees that have resettled in the U.S. this fiscal year.
In his last year of office, Obama pledged to have 110,000 refugees enter in the U.S. This number was cut in half when Trump came into office. So far this year, fewer than 10,000 refugees have been resettled.
Many faith leaders cited, Executive Order 13679, which was implemented Jan. 27, 2017, as a reason for the low numbers of refugee resettlement in the U.S. This order temporarily prevented refugees, temporary visitors, and other immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the United States — some temporarily and other indefinitely.
Community faith leaders washed the feet of numerous refugees including the feet of Manyang Reath Kher, a former refugee of southern Sudan and the Founder and Executive Director of Humanity Helping Sudan Project and Dedieu Luzau, a former refugee of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Founder and Director of Refugee Alliance Network.
Here are a few photos from the ceremony:
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