Speech #1140067538

They included. incidentally. those Iraqis who had served and helped the United States and its military during our period of occupation. Many of them risked their lives for our soldiers. and now they are worried about retribution and have asked for asylum refuge in the United States. The proposal was made by the Republican side that we should limitin fact. should delay and then limitSyrian and Iraqi refugees. One has to wonder whether or not it has anything to do with the fact that the vast majority of people living in those two countries are of the Muslim faith. I have met some of these refugees in the city of Chicago. Some of them waited up to 2 years after they were being investigated and interviewed and fingerprintedup to 2 yearsbefore they could come to the United States. Their stories of what they and their families have been through are tragic. They come here simply to start a new life in a safe place and to raise their children. It truly is what has motivated people across the span of history to come to this great Nation. and these refugees are no different. The fact that the Republicans would start by excluding refugeesand now. Mr. Trump takes it to the extreme of excluding people of a religious faith. the Muslim religionis an indication of a conversation in American politics that needs to stop. We need to reflect once again on the fundamental principles of this country and the fundamental values of this country as well. I hope this is the beginning of a reevaluation. It wasnt but 2 weeks ago that the House of Representatives passed the measure. the socalled pause in accepting refugees. It is interesting what has happened since. More than half of Democrats who voted for this47 of themhave said they dont want to include this measure in any final appropriations bill considered by Congress. They are obviously having second thoughts about their votes. At least one Republican Congressman from the State of Oklahoma said he made a mistake. he never should have voted for this policy when it came to Syrian refugees. So perhaps. as tempers cool and as we reflect on who we are as a Nation and what we want to be. we will have second thoughts about this question of refugees.