Donald M. Payne: “I ask my Republican colleagues to think about the message that President Trump's Muslim ban sends to our young people.…”

“I ask my Republican colleagues to think about the message that President Trump's Muslim ban sends to our young people. What the President is telling them is that our doors are closed, that the tired, the poor, the persecuted, and the oppressed are no longer welcome. I reject that message, and I am glad to say that I have heard from many young people who reject that message. I want to read from a letter sent by a middle school student from West Orange, New Jersey, in my district. Her name is Calixta. Calixta wrote: ``Immigrants are basically what America is made of. . . . Immigrants work very hard in the country, they get things done. These people fight for their lives.'' I am glad that Calixta recognizes President Trump's ban as a threat to American values, but I am concerned that other young people will see it and think it is okay to reject others based on how they look, how they worship, or where they come from. Mr. Speaker, the President's ban is illogical, it is dangerous, and it sends a terrible message to the young people of this Nation. ____________________”