Forum Mourns Tragedy at Immigrant Center in Binghamton, New York

The National Immigration Forum is an Atlantic grantee. Washington, DC The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-Partisan pro-immigrant advocacy organization based in Washington. What happened in Binghamton is a horrific tragedy. It appears that an agency serving immigrants and refugees was the crime scene and our hopes and prayers go out to the victims and their families. The suspect was obviously deeply disturbed and thought violence would solve some problem he faced, which we know is never the case. The people who provide services to immigrants and refugees across the country are doing the Lord’s work, caring for our newest Americans and people who want to become members of our communities. We fear that immigrants who use the center for civics and English classes are the ones who lost their lives or were injured and terrorized in this incident. It is all the more tragic that a place that gives such hope to so many would become the site of such a horrible tragedy. This is a tragedy for America and for the immigrant community. We urge everyone to resist using this incident for political purposes in the contentious immigration debate. Our deepest condolences go to the families of all involved.