Michael Bennet: “Mr. Trump's poorly drawn and implemented Executive order blocking refugees from the United States sacrifices fundamental…”

“Mr. Trump's poorly drawn and implemented Executive order blocking refugees from the United States sacrifices fundamental American values and does not make us safer. For the first time in memory, the order imposes a ban on all refugees entering our country, many of whom are fleeing war or who risk persecution for their religious or political beliefs. The order affects many thousands of children, women, and men whom our government has vetted for years and cleared for rescue. President Trump's action--taken in the first days of his new administration, for political reasons, without regard for real world consequences and without the expertise of our national security professionals or even some of those appointed by the President himself--represents a rare, but shameful, departure from a constitutional heritage that has made America strong and a beacon to oppressed people throughout the world. For generations, immigrants and refugees have come to our country to flee religious persecution and to seek a better life. Indeed, these are the very people who founded our original colonies. Although, as now, we have occasionally failed to live up to our ideals, over generations the United States has accepted millions of refugees from around the world. My own family is part of this story, as so many people's families in this Chamber are. My mom was born in Poland in 1938 while Nazi tanks massed at the border.…”