Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Meehan torn on order
U.S. Rep. sees need for border security, laments the way Trump’s action was implemented
U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan is speaking out about the controversial temporary ban on immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States put in place last week by Presidend Donald Trump. Meehan is torn - in support of making our borders more secure, while lamenting the way the measure was drawn up and implemented.
Meehan, R-7 of Chadds Ford, said in a comment to the Daily Times Friday that his experi-
ence as a former U.S. attorney and a member of the Homeland Security Committee has proven to him the need for stricter immigration guidelines.
“I know terror groups have long sought to both exploit gaps in our immigration screening and use refugee status as a cover to reach our shores and murder our citizens,” Meehan said. “It’s only responsible that we take immediate steps to protect our citizens and prevent terrorists from entering the U.S.”
The congressman acknowledged that the way the order was drafted and implemented gave him “concerns.”
“It appears to have inadvertently harmed families already in transit to the U.S., immigrants who have already completed the rigorous green card screening process, and interpreters and others who have aided our forces overseas,” Meehan said.
Pennsylvanian members of Congress have begun
speaking up on the ban, the good and the bad, offering insight into the reasoning behind the ban – safer borders – while also criticizing the White House for how the travel ban was conducted.
Ultimately, Rep. Meehan said the process is ongoing and he would work with legislators to make sure the travel restrictions were issued fairly.
“I’m going to work with my colleagues to press for screening policies that are fair, responsible and effective in keeping Americans safe,” Meehan said.
Additionally Friday, Meehan commented on word that the U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed additional sanctions on Iran after the Iranian regime’s test of a ballistic missile earlier this week.
“For years, the Obama Administration bent over backwards to accommodate Iran in its quest to secure and protect its nuclear deal,” Meehan said. “Iran’s development of its ballistic missile program shows its belligerence and aggression continue unabated.”
These sanctions are a responsible, warranted consequence of Iran’s actions, and a clear sign to the Iranian regime that the days of endless American accommodation are over.”
Fellow Republican colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania also voiced support for the travel ban.
“I commend President Trump for suspending the refugee program, and in particular for Syria and the six other countries, because they are unquestionably terrorist havens and hotspots,” said Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11 of Hazleton.
Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15 of Allentown, however, called the travel ban “ridiculous.”
“I guess I understand what his intention is, but unfortunately the order appears to have been rushed through without full consideration,” Dent was quoted in the Washington Post. “You know, there are many, many nuances of immigration policy that can be life or death for many innocent, vulnerable people around the world.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-8 of Middletown, Bucks County, said “the president’s policy entirely misses the mark.”
However, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., agreed with the ban on principle.
“I support the administration’s decision to increase vetting and temporarily suspend the admission of certain individuals from states that sponsor or provide safe havens to terrorists, or are too weak to prosecute terrorists within their borders, Toomey said.
However, the junior senator from Pennsylvania also shared his reservations.
“Unfortunately, the initial executive order was flawed – it was too broad and poorly explained. This apparently resulted in denied entry into the United States for lawful permanent residents
and others who should have been allowed immediate entry,” Toomey said. “This apparently resulted in denied entry into the United States for lawful permanent residents and others who should have been allowed immediate entry.”
In the meantime, a week after two Christian Syrian families were turned away at Philadelphia International Airport, it was asserted Friday by a government attorney said that over 100,000 visas have been revoked by the travel ban instituted by President Trump’s executive order.
This figure is vastly different than the White House report that said only 109 people were affected by the travel ban from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
In response Friday to the assertion by Erez Reuveni, of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, who is representing Tareq and Ammar Aqel Mohammed Aziz, two Yemeni brothers who were detained at Dulles Airport last Saturday and were forced to return to Ethiopia on a return flight, the State Department said the number of affected visa-holders was lower, around 60,000.