Family of Syrian Refugees Resume Move of Sheboygan

A family of Syrian refugees held up by an executive order are once again on their way to Sheboygan where local churches had been prepping for their arrival.

Volunteers met at Ebenezer United Church of Christ Tuesday night and said they believed that the family of Syrian refugees had already landed in New York.

There are nine people in that family. Six of them are children. On Tuesday they are expected to meet up with a relative who they have not seen in six years.

Janice Karen Hill, a volunteer at Ebenezer United Church of Christ, said there is still a lot to get together for the family's apartment.

"We weren't given exact flight information. we just knew that they'd be coming. And our greatest concern was that this window of opportunity might close," Hill said.

Those worries come as the legal battle ramps up over President Trump's executive order restricting immigration and travel from seven countries.

Syrian citizens had been affected - meaning the incoming family had to cancel an earlier flight, even after they already gave up their home.

"We have a responsibility. Not just to sit in church and worship but to walk outside those doors," Hill said.

"Yes, sometimes there's opposition but there's all kinds of historic examples of people who've faced a whole lot more opposition that this," Pastor Roger Mealiff said.

"It's just as basic as treating other people the way you would want to be treated. And you just keep that in mind, that they've people just like you and I," Pastor Mealiff said.

"I think people need to just shut up for a minute and sit down and listen to their story, listen what they've been through, and get to know them as people," Hill said.

Sheboygan is already home to 18 Syrian refugees, volunteers said.


 

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