>>>
>>> GOOD
>>> GOOD MORNING. AND WELCOME TO "SUNDAY
SQUARE-OFF," I'M BRAHM RESNIK.
ON TODAY'S SHOW, YOU MIGHT NOT
KNOW IT BUT FOR DECADES,
DECADES, ARIZONA HAS PUT OUT THE
WELCOME MAT TO THE WORLD'S
REFUGEES.
REFUGEES.
REFUGEES. WE'RE ONE OF THE MORE WELCOMING
STATES IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT THIS WEEK, OUR LEADERS AT
THREE LEVELS, THE GOVERNOR,
MARICOPA COUNTY AND THE CITY OF
PHOENIX HAD TO WRITE LETTERS TO
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
DECLARING THEY WELCOME REFUGEES.
WE'LL HAVE THE STORY BEHIND
THOSE LETTERS AND WHY WE HAVEN'T
BEEN ACCEPTING MANY REFUGEES FOR
THE LAST FEW YEARS
>>> ALSO, WE WILL MEET THE
REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE
WHO BELIEVES MARTHA McSALLY
CAN'T WIN ARIZONA IN 2020 BUT HE
CAN.
CAN.
CAN. >>>
CAN. >>> WE'LL START WITH THOSE
UNPRECEDENTED LAST WEEK TO THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. GOVERNOR DOUG DUCEY AND OTHERS
GETTING BIPARTISAN APPLAUSE FOR
THE LAWS.
THE LAWS.
THE LAWS. JOINING US, OUR STANFORD
PRESCOTT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
COORDINATOR FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
WHICH RESETTLES THE LARGEST
NUMBER OF REFUGEES IN ARIZONA
AND -- AN ADVOCATE FOR REFUGEES
WHO WORKS FOR THE SOMALI
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. WELCOME TO YOU BOTH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> STANFORD, LET'S START WITH
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. EXPLAIN TO FOLKS WHY THESE
LETTERS HAD TO BE WRITTEN.
>>
>> REFUGEES HAVE BEEN COMING TO THE UNITED STATES AND ARIZONA
SINCE 1980.
SINCE 1980. ARIZONA HAS HISTORICALLY HAD THE
HIGHEST AMOUNTS OF REFUGEES OF
ANY STATE.
ANY STATE. AND EARLIER THIS YEAR, PRESIDENT
TRUMP ISSUED EXECUTIVE ORDER
13888 WHICH REQUIRED STATES AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO EXPRESS
CONSENT IN WRITING TO CONTINUED
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT.
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT. REFUGEE AGENCIES HAVE BEEN
ENGAGING IN THE PROCESS BEFORE
THE ORDERS AND WILL CONTINUE
AFTER.
AFTER.
AFTER. >>
AFTER. >> THAT CONSENT HADN'T BEEN
GIVEN, THEN WHAT?
>> ARIZONA WOULD NOT TAKE ANY
MORE REFUGEES AND GIVE DONALD
TRUMP THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY
THERE'S NO STATE THAT WILL
ACCEPT REFUGEES.
ACCEPT REFUGEES. >> WHAT WAS GOING ON BEHIND THE
SCENES TO GET THE COUNTY, THE
GOVERNOR, THE BOARD TO WRITE THE
LETTERS?
LETTERS?
LETTERS? >> MAYOR IS A VERY WONDERFUL
LEADER AND HAS BEEN MAKING SURE
REFUGEES ARE WELCOME HERE.
THE GOVERNOR HAS ALSO SHOWN HE'S
A REFUGEE FRIENDLY, SO WE'RE
VERY HAPPY WE GET THE LETTERS
AND GIVE US SENSE OF BELONGING
IN ARIZONA.
IN ARIZONA. I MYSELF A FORMER REFUGEE FROM
SOMALIA AND THIS MAKES ME VERY
HAPPY THAT ARIZONA IS WELCOMING
TO REFUGEES AND REFUGEE-FRIENDLY
STATE.
STATE.
STATE. >>
STATE. >> FOUR YEARS AGO, AFTER THE
PARIS TERRORIST ATTACKS,
GOVERNOR DUCEY SAID HE WANTED
ARIZONA TO STOP ACCEPTING
REFUGEES.
REFUGEES.
REFUGEES. HE DIDN'T HAVE THE POWER TO DO
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. DID
THAT. DID THAT GIVE YOU SOME CONCERN
THAT HE MIGHT NOT SIGN THIS
LETTER, SEND HAD LETTER TO THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION?
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION? >> YEAH, THAT WAS DEFINITELY A
CONCERN SO WE MET WITH THE
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE RIGHT AWAY AND
WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS SINCE
THEN.
THEN.
THEN. REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT HAS BEEN A
BIPARTISAN PROGRAM.
BIPARTISAN PROGRAM. THE PRESIDENT THAT ACCEPTED THE
MOST REFUGEES WAS RONALD REAGAN.
>> I WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE
BIG PICTURE, THE NUMBER OF
REFUGEES SETTLING IN ARIZONA HAS
PLUNGED OVER THE LAST FIVE
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. THE STATE NATIONALLY A HISTORIC
LEADER BUT THE NUMBER OF
REFUGEES HAS DROPPED 70% FROM
ABOUT 4,000 TO 1200 IN THE
CURRENT YEAR DURING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. MOST OF THE REFUGEES IN ARIZONA
COME FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES, THE
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE
CONGO, SOMALIA AND IRAQ.
REFUGEES FROM THE CONGO HAVE
GROWN BUT REFUGEES FROM SOMALIA,
IRAQ AND SYRIA HAVE ALMOST
VANISHED AS THE OVERALL NUMBER
OF REFUGEES SINK.
STANFORD PRESCOTT, WHAT IS THE
STORY BEHIND THE NUMBERS?
>> THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION
HAS HAD TWO POLICY, MAIN POLICY
ACTIONS THAT HAVE REALLY
IMPACTED THE FLOW OF REFUGEES TO
THE UNITED STATES AND BY
EXTENSION ARIZONA.
EXTENSION ARIZONA. ARIZONA HAS DROPPED IN REFUGEE
ARRIVALS DROP MATCHES THE
NATIONAL DROP IN REFUGEES.
>>
>> MUSLIM
>> MUSLIM COUNTRIES? >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> AS WELL AS -- BUT IT'S
IMPORTANT TO KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST
MUSLIMS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE
TO COME OVER, IT'S CHRISTIANS
THAT WERE BEING PERSECUTED
BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH IN THOSE
COUNTRIES HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO
COME OVER.
COME OVER. IT'S ALSO THE PRESIDENTIAL
DETERMINATION EVERY YEAR UNDER
THE REFUGEE ACT THE PRESIDENT
SETS THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES
COMING INTO THE COUNTRY AND THE
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION HAS
CONTINUED TO SET RECORD LOWS
EVERY YEAR.
EVERY YEAR. AT THE LAST YEAR, PRESIDENT
OBAMA IT WAS SET AT 110,000 AND
THIS YEAR IT WAS SET AT 18,000
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. IS
THAT. IS THE LOWEST OF ANY
PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR
REPUBLICAN IN U.S. HISTORY.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE DESPITE THE
DECLARATION WE ARE STILL GOING
TO SEE A DROP IN THE COMING
YEAR?
YEAR?
YEAR? >>
YEAR? >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. THAT 18,000 IS THE MAXIMUM
NATIONALLY AND THERE IS SOME
DOUBT BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE
SPECIFICS IN HOW THAT ORDER WAS
ISSUED, THAT THAT 18,000 WILL BE
REACHED NATIONALLY, AND SO --
THEN AN EVEN SMALLER PROPORTION
OF THAT WILL COME TO ARIZONA.
>> WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON THE
SOMALI COMMUNITY AS THE NUMBERS
SHRINK AND FAMILY MEMBERS CAN'T
MEET UP?
MEET UP?
MEET UP? >> IT'S VERY SAD.
WE HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO
ARE ACTUALLY AFRAID TO GO VISIT
THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS BECAUSE
THEY BELIEVE IF THEY GO, DONALD
TRUMP WILL NOT LET THEM.
THERE ARE FAMILY MEMBERS THAT
CANNOT UNITE WITH FAMILY MEMBERS
IN ARIZONA AND JUST TO SPEAK TO
IRAQ, IRAQ WAS REMOVED FROM THE
BAN, IRAQI INTERPRETERS WHO
HELPED THE U.S. SOLDIERS AND
U.S. MILITARIES, THEY CANNOT
COME IN BECAUSE OF THAT DELAYS
AND CUTTING REFUGEES, SO THE
WHOLE REFUGEE COMMUNITY ARE
STRUGGLING.
STRUGGLING. WHAT THE GOVERNOR AND THE COUNTY
AND OTHER COUNTY -- REFUGEES ARE
WELCOME AND HOPEFULLY THIS WILL
HELP DONALD TRUMP CHANGE HIS
MIND OR CHANGE THE WHOLE
PERSPECTIVE OF REFUGEES IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> LAST QUESTION FOR YOU
STANFORD, PRESIDENT TRUMP
SUPPORTERS, MANY HERE IN ARIZONA
SAY THEY SUPPORT THIS.
THEY HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS.
THEY SAY WE SHOULD NOT BE TAKING
IN ANY REFUGEES.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE?
>> I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE
THINGS THERE.
THINGS THERE. ONE, IS THAT REFUGEES DO PROVIDE
A REAL ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO OUR
STATE AND OUR COUNTRY.
WHEN REFUGEES ARRIVE WITHIN SIX
MONTHS, ABOUT 84% OF THEM ARE
SELF-SUFFICIENT, THEY HAVE A
HAVE A JOB AND PAY THEIR BILLS.
I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN GO TO A
FOREIGN COUNTRY, LEARN THEIR
LANGUAGE AND GET A JOB IN SIX
MONTHS.
MONTHS.
MONTHS. REFUGEES ARE MORE LIKELY THAN
U.S.-BORN CITIZENS TO START
THEIR OWN BUSINESS AND THEY ARE
AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE ARIZONA
ECONOMY.
ECONOMY.
ECONOMY. >> WE HAVE TO END IT THERE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> WHEN WE COME BACK, MEET THE
REPUBLICAN BUSINESSMAN WHO
BELIEVES THAT U.S. SENATOR