Prior to their flight, the Mormons had been subjected to violent mob actions. Accepting that there was no peace to be made with the people of Illinois they negotiated a truce. The terms were that the Mormons would leave in March after winter was over. The mobs agreed to refrain from any more violence until then. Fearful that the Mormons would break the terms and not leave, the people of Illinois preemptively broke the terms and threatened to attack the city. The bitter cold was a curse, but also a blessing. The Mississippi river froze and the Mormons were able to quickly abandon their homes before violence could commence.
This painting has personal significance to me because my great-great-great grandfather Zemira Palmer was there that day. He was 14 years old.
This painting hangs in my Stake Center where I happened to be this morning. I was there with my daughters at a stake activity. The girls were there to celebrate their ancestors. Yesterday, in a betrayal of my family's legacy, American principles, and basic humanity, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, with broad republican support, issued an executive order banning refugees from seven war-torn countries.
To my fellow Mormons who may feel the desire to support this ban I would say, there was a time when you were wrongly labeled a terrorist and a religious extremist. There was a time when you were violently denied your rights as a human being. There was a time when you were forced to flee to protect yourself and your family from murder, rape and plunder. There was a time when you were a refugee and the United States of America would make no place for you.
If you are afraid that offering aid to refugees is to accept terrorists into our midst, please review the existing refugee vetting process. This process takes, on average, from 18 months to 2 years. An individual is vetted by the State Department, the FBI, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security who conducts an in-person interview with every applicant. On top of this, additional vetting measures are currently in place for applicants of Syrian origin.
There is simply no excuse for this ban. As a Mormon and an American I feel it is my duty to stand up to this ban and the ignorance and bigotry that inspired it.
