Area lawmakers criticize Trump immigrant ban
Confusion over rollout, protests greet president’s executive order
Area lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle criticized President Donald Trump’s temporary ban on refugees and immigrants, calling the move confusing, harmful, counterproductive and the wrong way to prevent terrorism.
Trump’s executive order, issued Jan. 27, temporarily banned refugees and immigrants from seven Middle East countries, identified by the Trump and Obama administrations as terrorist safe havens, from entering into the country. The action led to widespread protests, especially after Green Card holders and military interpreters, among others, were initially denied entry. Ultimately, a federal judge temporarily halted the action.
Officials in our area said that while they supported actions aimed to keep Americans safe, the executive order had flaws.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., called the order “contrary to our values and security.” Preventing refugees from entering the country does nothing to make it safer and puts an increased burden on our allies, who have already absorbed a bulk of them, he said in a statement released Friday afternoon on Facebook.
“Our first priority must be to keep America safe which means destroying terrorist networks wherever they are and ensuring that those offered refugee status go through the most rigorous possible screening,” he said.
“Refugee applicants are subject to the highest level of security checks for any category of traveler to the U.S.” which includes 18-24 months of review, screening by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center and the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense and State along with a biometric analysis.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., issued a statement on Facebook on Jan. 30 calling for a balance between defending citizens against international terrorism and providing a safe haven for refugees. Toomey supported the Trump administration’s decision to increase vetting and suspend entry to individuals from countries identified as terrorist safe havens but criticized the executive order for being “too broad and not easy to explain” leading to permanent residents and others being denied entry, he said.
“Terrorists have successfully infiltrated refugee populations entering Europe and gone on to commit heinous acts of barbarity,” he said. “I have long been concerned about our ability to distinguish between predominantly peaceful and innocent refugees, and the likely rare, but lethal, terrorists in the midst of those refugees coming from terror havens and lawless lands.”
Fortunately the administration clarified that the executive order does not apply to Green Card holders and Secretaries of State and Homeland Security can grant exceptions “which certainly should apply to, among others, foreign nationals who served the U.S. military in various support roles,” he said.
“I look forward to learning more about how the administration intends to enforce this executive order,” he said, “to determine whether it indeed strikes the appropriate balance between defending our nation and maintaining our ability to provide a safe haven for persecuted individuals.”
U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6th Dist., said protecting American lives was his first priority, and supported reviewing this process over the next 90 days, especially among the seven countries identified as “terrorist hotspots,” in a statement released on Facebook Sunday, Jan. 29.
“But Green Card holders and those assisting us in the war on terror should not be denied entry, and actions to the contrary must be remedied immediately,” he said. “America is a country that can go about achieving our security objectives while maintaining compassion.”
Costello interpreted Trump’s executive actions as temporary, adding the country wants a robust and humane screening process for those looking to enter, he said.
“I am confident we can and will continue the American ethos of welcoming the persecuted and oppressed in a safe and orderly manner, with very strong security protections for our citizens,” he said.
A staff member for U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7th Dist., told Digital First Media the congressman has real issues with the way the executive order was drafted and implemented, calling it “inadvertently harmful” to those already in transit from overseas, as well as those with a Green Card and interpreters. He said the congressman promised to work with his colleagues to implement fair screening policies that will keep Americans safe.
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-8th Dist., said in a statement released Jan. 28 that Trump’s policy “entirely misses the mark.”
“We certainly need to enhance our current vetting process and significantly reform our immigration policies to make sure terrorists are not exploiting our nation’s proud tradition of freedom and acceptance,” he said. However, terrorism is global in scale and “requires a comprehensive response, not a purely regional focus. While serious actions are needed to protect our country, these must not be done in a way that singles out any specific nations or ethnicities.”
The former FBI Supervisory Special Agent said terrorists change their tactics to exploit short term fixes.
“It’s time we work together to address the root causes of these threats,” he said.
Casey met with custom officials, refugees and their lawyers to explain their rights, and spoke at protests held over the weekend at Philadelphia International Airport with U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, D-1st Dist., and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. Casey was scheduled to join refugees, immigrants and Senate and House Democrats outside the United States Supreme Court Jan. 30 to call on Trump to reverse the “hateful” executive order.
“I am open to and have voted for ways to strengthen refugee screening in order to keep America safe, but these actions won’t make our nation measurably safer — they will just move us further away from the promise of America,” Casey said.