“American views toward refugees from war-torn nations have ebbed and flowed over time.
Minhaj Hassan of Islamic Relief USA says donated prayer rugs are one way his group is hoping to make refugees feel at home.
“It’s kind of like starting all over again, and you’re traumatized,” Hassan said. “You don’t know what the next day is going to be like.”
Islamic Relief USA has been collecting donations from around the country for weeks.
“There definitely is a heightened level of interest. And so that’s always a positive sign. I mean, obviously, the situation is very dire,” he said.
At World Relief, Matthew Soerens says volunteers have opened their homes to refugees, others have shipped boxes of donations and blanket.
“Absolutely overwhelming in a very positive sense,” Soerens said.
Meanwhile, across the U.S., Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said, “Maryland receives more of these SIV’s than nearly any other state, and we stand ready and willing to do even more.”
Governors on both sides of the aisle have offered to take in the tens of thousands of refugees.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell of the Council on American Islamic Relation said, “I’d love to see people across our nation, consistently welcoming, welcoming refugees, regardless of what country they’re coming from, as long as they are genuinely in need.”