“The President’s claim that he is keeping America secure through his travel ban is in fact a phony argument about American security.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Monday after President Trump issued a revised travel ban last night:
“President Trump’s attempt to repackage his Muslim ban won’t work. I am hopeful the Supreme Court will ultimately act with clarity to say that we will not allow religious tests as to who can come to America. That is the question that must be answered, because the selection of Muslim majority countries by the Administration was purposeful and continues to serve as a recruitment tool for extremist groups. The addition of some non-Muslim countries does not cure the constitutional deficiencies in this ban.
“The President’s claim that he is keeping America secure through his travel ban is in fact a phony argument about American security. Even while stayed by the courts, President Trump’s executive orders have made America less safe, damaged our relationships with our allies, and harmed countless numbers of law-abiding citizens, travelers, and their families. America is a compassionate nation steeped with a history of immigrants and refugees.
“The President made a mistake by purporting to indefinitely ban the entry of individuals from certain countries into the United States, and by engaging in discriminatory profiling by barring entire nationalities from coming to the United States. Instead, the President should focus our limited intelligence and law enforcement resources on enhanced screening of individuals to screen out any person trying to enter our country has has suspected ties to terrorist activities.”
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