FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I have come to the floor as we have
just filed a resolution--a bill actually--with 26 cosponsors that would
repeal the immigration ban placed by President Trump. President Trump's
Muslim ban is unnecessary, it is unconstitutional, and it is un-
American. It should be repealed immediately. The Executive order prohibits individuals from Iran, Syria, Iraq,
Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen from entering the country. It even
bars relatives of Americans from visiting. The order suspends the
entire U.S. refugee program, and most egregiously, Syrian refugees are
banned indefinitely unless they are Christian. These provisions are not
what America is all about. First, the order is unnecessary. Individuals from the 7 targeted
countries and 150 other nations are already thoroughly screened. Visitors fill out visa applications. They submit photographs that run
through biometric databases. Their personal information is reviewed,
including names, addresses, and dates of birth. They are interviewed at
a U.S. consulate. The process could take months to complete and
eliminates the need for the travel ban. In addition, the move to ban refugees has no legitimate national
security reason because these refugees undergo an even more thorough
screening process that can take up to 2 years to complete. The vast
majority of refugees are women and children who have experienced the
absolute worst of humanity. Let's not forget the heart-wrenching image of the small body of Aylan
Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian boy, washed up on a beach, dead. I will
never forget this small boy in his short pants, his shoes, and his
socks, lying on that beach.
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