Speaker, just hours before President Trump's
inauguration, I met a young woman in my district from Djibouti who was
named Fozia. Fozia had worked with our military as an interpreter. She
came to the United States for the freedom and safety she could not find
in her home country; but as a Muslim and immigrant, the rhetoric she
heard during the election had made her question whether she was welcome
here. Since President Trump has issued his backdoor ban on Muslim
immigrants and a halt on all refugees, I have thought of Fozia often as
well as thousands of other refugees and asylees who have undergone
arduous journeys and thorough vetting to make Maine their home. These good people have enriched our State in many ways--raising
families and filling a vital need in our aging workforce. They live in
New England cities with French names that were built by Irish laborers,
reminders of the many generations of immigrants who came here for a
better life and who helped make our country great. President Trump's order is likely unconstitutional, but without a
doubt, it is un-American. This Congress is guilty of the same sin if we
don't do everything in our power to stop it.
Keywords matched
immigrants immigrant refugees