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Our motto – Beyond Borders – is more than simply a tagline: it’s a creed. It embodies the fundamental spirit of Citizen State and the world we seek to create – a society based on freedom, openness and truth. It is for these reasons therefore that we must stand firmly against the recent Executive Order on refugee entry and immigration into the United States.
The order itself is antithetical to American values, and indeed human values. It severely harms those seeking a better life, sending a message of hostility to some of the world’s most vulnerable citizens. In addition, the order itself appears to be strategically inept, with both the Brookings Institution and Cato Institute demonstrating serious flaws in its reasoning and effectiveness.
Citizen State stands for providing the basic needs of all humanity, including the need for freedom from fear, want, of worship and of speech. These four freedoms, first articulated over 70 years ago by Franklin D. Roosevelt, are under imminent threat from the actions of the current administration. It is our duty as a movement and individuals to oppose any policy adopted that would threaten these fundamental freedoms.
Each of us has an immigrant story to tell. Each of us came from a foreign land seeking freedom from oppression and the opportunity to create our own destinies. Do we not owe it to all humanity to ensure that they also have those freedoms and opportunities?
We have chosen to challenge this policy and any others that would threaten our essential rights. Together, we will defeat not just these policies, but also those who sow hate amongst us. Always remember: resistance is never futile.