Georgia Congressman says measure gives U.S. time to “get refugee policy right”
Georgia’s 9th District Congressman Doug Collins issued a statement Monday defending President Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority nations. In a press release, Collins says the executive order is related to the United States’ national security:
“Protecting the people of the United States remains the top priority of its leaders, and thoughtful vigilance on this front has made our nation a beacon of hope to people throughout the world. It is possible to welcome refugees to our country while maintaining robust national security measures, and it is time to restore balance to this relationship by evaluating our entry processes in light of credible threats to our citizens.
The executive order allows re-entry to lawful permanent residents and does not represent a comprehensive ban on entry to people from certain countries. In this temporary measure, President Trump has given us the opportunity to get refugee policy right going forward.”
Trump signed an executive order on immigration on Friday that bars citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia from entering the United States for the next 90 days. It also suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days. The ban has been enthusiastically received by many Trump supporters who say the president is keeping his campaign promise to make America safe. Others criticize the ban as un-American.
Ban backlash
Protests erupted Friday at airports across the country. Democratic Sens. John Lewis of Georgia, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey were among the elected officials who joined in the protests. Meanwhile, Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Shumer of New York says he’ll ask for a vote on the Senate floor Monday night to repeal the ban.
Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina broke the GOP silence on Capitol Hill Sunday and issued a joint statement condemning the ban:
“Our government has a responsibility to defend our borders, but we must do so in a way that makes us safer and upholds all that is decent and exceptional about our nation.
It is clear from the confusion at our airports across the nation that President Trump’s executive order was not properly vetted. We are particularly concerned by reports that this order went into effect with little to no consultation with the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security.
Such a hasty process risks harmful results. We should not stop green-card holders from returning to the country they call home. We should not stop those who have served as interpreters for our military and diplomats from seeking refuge in the country they risked their lives to help. And we should not turn our backs on those refugees who have been shown through extensive vetting to pose no demonstrable threat to our nation, and who have suffered unspeakable horrors, most of them women and children.
Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism. At this very moment, American troops are fighting side-by-side with our Iraqi partners to defeat ISIL. But this executive order bans Iraqi pilots from coming to military bases in Arizona to fight our common enemies. Our most important allies in the fight against ISIL are the vast majority of Muslims who reject its apocalyptic ideology of hatred. This executive order sends a signal, intended or not, that America does not want Muslims coming into our country. That is why we fear this executive order may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security.”
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker said Sunday the administration should immediately make revisions to the executive order.
Trump fires back
Trump fired back at McCain and Graham on Twitter Sunday calling their statement “wrong” and the senators themselves “weak on immigration.”
The joint statement of former presidential candidates John McCain & Lindsey Graham is wrong – they are sadly weak on immigration. The two…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017
…Senators should focus their energies on ISIS, illegal immigration and border security instead of always looking to start World War III.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017
The president shows no sign of backing down, explaining on Twitter that no advance notice was given to prevent the “bad” from rushing into the country. “A lot of bad ‘dudes’ out there,” he tweeted.
The president, who has a penchant for expressing himself through social media, took to Facebook Monday to explain his decision. In a post on his verified Facebook page Trump insists the ban’s not about religion but about “terror and keeping our country safe.”
Trump says the U.S. will again issue visas to all countries “once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days.”
