Rep. Kelly Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order to Improve U.S. Refugee Policy
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) issued the following statement today regarding the Executive Order signed by President Donald Trump last Friday officially known as “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.”
“Since President Trump signed his executive order to strengthen our country’s refugee policy, I have been closely reviewing the order’s details and carefully considering its ramifications. As a lawmaker, my most important duty is guaranteeing the safety of American citizens, especially against a deadly enemy that seeks to exploit our country’s generosity. I believe that President Trump and Vice President Pence share this sacred commitment.
“The United States should continue to be the world’s most charitable and compassionate nation. At the very same time, we have to be realistic about the manipulative nature of terrorist groups like ISIS, who have a sickening history of infiltrating refugee populations in order to carry out attacks on their host countries. For a long time, we have needed a stronger, stricter verification system for refugees entering our country in order to fully protect Americans from the enemy’s evolving techniques.
“I am very much aware of the passionate response to President Trump’s executive order by many Americans. My primary focus is making sure the order improves our refugee program in a way that both strengthens our national security and upholds our values. I respectfully but strongly disagree with the criticism that this order is discriminatory against any group of people other than actual terrorists. I would not support a law or policy that undermines our Founding principles of liberty and justice for all.
“I am particularly pleased that the president’s order allows for exceptions for those who are proven allies and have helped America on the battlefield. I am also glad that the Trump administration has clarified that current green card holders from countries referenced in the order will not be prevented from returning to the United States. I believe our federal government can and should be compassionate toward innocent people fleeing from oppression overseas while simultaneously fulfilling its constitutional obligation to keep Americans safe.”
NOTE: The full text of President Trump’s Executive Order can be read here, and a subsequent description by the Department of Homeland Security can be read here.
Despite news reports to the contrary, the order does not include the words “Muslim,” “Islam,” or “Christian,” nor does it include a “ban” on any specific religious group whatsoever. Once the temporary suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program is lifted, the order does give priority to those currently facing persecution as a religious minority in their home country. (This could mean Christians in some circumstances, and Jews, Muslims, or Yazidis in others.)
The “countries of concern” affected by the order (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen) were not chosen at random but rather originally selected by the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act signed into law by former President Obama in December 2015. (This law, coupled with an update by the Obama administration two months later, blocked access to the Visa Waiver Program to foreigners who have visited any of the aforementioned countries within the past five years.)
BACKGROUND: On November 17th, 2015, Rep. Kelly co-signed a joint letter to Governor Tom Wolf—with 9 other members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation—urging him to indefinitely suspend Pennsylvania's participation in the Syrian refugee program until there are verifiable and robust mechanisms in place to properly screen all participants for potential security risks.
On November 18th, 2015, Rep. Kelly co-signed a joint letter to former President Obama—with more than 100 members of Congress—insisting that he immediately halt the admission of refugees from Syria and Iraq onto American soil until an effective vetting and monitoring system is established.
On November 20th, 2015, Rep. Kelly voted for H.R. 4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, also known as “the SAFE Act,” which passed the House of Representatives by a bipartisan veto-proof majority (289-137, including 47 Democrats in favor).
In 2011, the Obama administration implemented a similar policy when it stopped processing all refugees from Iraq for six months. (Unlike President Trump’s order, President Obama’s policy banned even those who had previously helped U.S. forces). In 1980, President Carter banned individuals in Iran from coming to the U.S. during the Iranian hostage crisis.
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