On the recordJanuary 31, 2017
The President's executive order of Friday violates the law, it violates the Constitution, and it violates good sense. How does it violate the law? Section 202(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act specifically prohibits nationality-based discrimination in the issuance of immigrant visas and other visas. That is what this order did. Now, the law is clear that individuals who pose a threat to the United States can--and I should add, should be--barred from the United States; but you can't just legally make a blanket objection based on nationality and, I would add, based on religion. That is what the President's order does. It suspends refugee admission completely for months. Who are these refugees? Most of the refugees admitted last year were from Burma and the Congo, not from Syria. They are people who have been vetted for years, many of whom are fleeing for their lives and will continue to live in fear. It does something else. It suspends admission even of legal permanent residents from seven countries, violating their rights to equal protection and to due process. People want to keep the country safe--we all do; of course, I do--but how does this order keep us safe? Let me just give an example. General Talib al-Kenani from Iraq commands the elite American-trained counterterrorism forces that have been leading the fight against ISIS for 2 years. His family relocated to the U.S. for safety. He can't visit them anymore.…
