Hundreds take Michael Moore’s vow to house refugees

Michael Moore, Syrian Refugees
Getty Images

Liberal director Michael Moore has registered over a thousand Americans who would shelter Middle Eastern refugees in their homes.

Approximately 1,490 households have volunteered as safe havens for displaced Iraqis or Syrians, according to the filmmaker’s website Monday.

{mosads}Moore promised last week he would open his personal residence in Traverse City, Mich., to refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war.

“I’m asking anyone who can, anyone who has spare rooms in their home or an empty apartment, cottage or whatever, to make it available for Syrian and Iraqi refugees for between six months and a year while they’re being settled in the U.S.,” Moore wrote on his website.

“We are, indeed, our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers,” Moore said. “I can think of no better way to celebrate Thanksgiving and the holidays this year than by helping those who are suffering from the mistakes that have been made in our name.”

Moore is promoting his effort under the hashtag #MyHomeIsOpen on social media. His website promises that the effort is a collaboration with the Obama administration and participating nonprofit organizations it has approved.

Participants who register will receive notification that they can potentially shelter a refugee only after a complete vetting process, it said. All user information is private, it added.

Moore said his project is inspired by his family’s background as Irish immigrants to America’s shores.

“My family came here from Ireland in the 1800s [and] I know what it was like for them,” he wrote. “There was bigotry and harassment – but there were also those who held out a helping hand.

“That I would have the chance to do the same thing for a new family of immigrants 150 years later is an honor,” the “Fahrenheit 9/11” director added.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) announced earlier this month that his state is halting its plans for resettling Iraqi and Syrian refugees.

More than half of the nation’s other governors followed suit amid fears of terrorism from incoming refugees.

President Obama has repeatedly vowed that the U.S. is moving forward with plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees by net year.

The House voted earlier this month in favor of legislation strengthening the vetting process, which critics say is too lax given the risk of violence. 

Tags Entertainment Humanitarian aid Iraq Michael Moore movies refugees Syria

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Most Popular

Load more