Lawmakers’ opinions vary on Trump immigration order
President Donald Trump’s order temporarily barring citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States has drawn mostly enthusiastic reactions from area GOP lawmakers as a lone Democrat opposes the measure.
The Trump administration claims the executive order, which the president issued Friday, allows security officials to hone their process for vetting those seeking entrance.
Critics, including many civil rights leaders, have derided the order as a discriminatory “Muslim ban” that clashes with Americans’ image of their country as a refuge for those fleeing persecution.
U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, a Republican, dismissed concerns about the order as “politics” and maintained the order is about national security.
“President Trump is taking the necessary steps to ensure we strengthen our vetting procedures so that everything that can be done is being done to protect this nation from radical Islamic terrorists,” Shuster said.
Trump’s order includes a 90-day halt to the issuance of visas for citizens of Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Iran and Yemen – countries the White House said were “previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror” – while the Department of Homeland Security reviews what information is needed “in order to determine that the individual seeking the benefit is who the individual claims to be and is not a security or public-safety threat.”
The order also suspends the admittance of all refugees for 120 days and those from Syria indefinitely.
It includes language capping the number of refugees the United States will accept this year – fewer than half the 110,000 the Obama administration authorized.
Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday that “lowering the level of overall resettlement will make it harder on our allies who are already absorbing the bulk of the refugees fleeing conflicts around the world. This reported executive action appears to be driven by politics and discrimination, not by recommendations from national security professionals.”
Widespread reports that U.S. green card holders already living in the country were being denied entry from abroad sparked widespread protest at airports across the country, including Pittsburgh International.
GOP Sen. Pat Toomey said Monday he supported Trump’s order after the administration “clarified that this order does not apply to green card holders and that the secretaries of State and Homeland Security have the ability to grant exceptions,” including for foreign nationals who’ve assisted U.S. forces. “I look forward to learning more about how the administration intends to enforce this executive order, 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,” said Toomey.
In a statement over the weekend, Republican Congressman Tim Murphy stopped short of saying he supported Trump’s move but expressed concerns about existing screening measures.
“It is my hope that under this administration we can improve the screening process for those who wish to enter our country from dangerous places around the world,” he said.