Statement on World Refugee Day

Washington, DC (June 20, 2013) — Rep. Jan Schakowsky released the following statement on World Refugee Day:

"Today we celebrate World Refugee Day, a day for the international community to reflect on the many refugees displaced around the world. These people have fled their country to escape war or violence. Chicago is a center for refugees from all over the globe, and often the first place that refugees live when they come to the U.S.. We have a wonderful support network of non-profit and refugee resettlement agencies and faith based organizations that offer support and assistance finding refugees apartments, jobs, English language classes, and helping them adjust to their new lives. I thank them for their work.

"Refugees have witnessed more violence and hardship than we can ever know. They have been torn apart from their families, ripped from their homes and displaced to a new country, where they might not even speak the language. They deserve our respect and support through these hard times and in their path to recovery and peace."

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