Senate Must Oppose Nomination of Xenophobic Mortensen to Key State Department Post

June 8, 2018

The Trump administration’s nomination of Ronald Mortensen to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration is deeply alarming. It is another appalling example of the Trump administration’s politics of fear and prejudice.

Mortensen — a fellow with an organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center — has a long record of making xenophobic statements against those who seek to immigrate to or find refuge in the United States.

The prospect of Mortensen serving in this role is particularly distressing in light of the extremely cruel rhetoric and actions that have characterized the administration’s approach to refugees and immigrants. That’s why J Street is standing with organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — along with outraged citizens across our country — to call on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to reject his nomination.

Our Jewish and democratic values compel us to speak out against this administration’s assaults on those who seek a better life in the United States. As the descendants of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, we refuse to stand by while a new generation of those coming to our country is demeaned and persecuted.