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WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta Monday said, “in a sense,” the reaction from some quarters to President Donald Trump’s executive order is understandable because people are not used to a president who intends to enforce the borders of the United States.

“It is the president’s job to protect the American people,” Barletta, R-Hazleton, said. “And it is also important to recognize that citizens of foreign nations simply do not have the right to unfettered admission to the United States.”

Barletta, who served as co-chairman of Trump’s campaign in Pennsylvania, said the new president’s order provides the necessary time and capability to accurately determine the background of people seeking access to this country. He said there will be a tiny percentage of travelers who are affected, and of those, most will experience only minor inconveniences while the new policies are enacted.

Across the aisle, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, had a different take on Trump’s order.

“I urge President Trump to rethink his ill-conceived, discriminatory and dangerous executive order banning Muslim travel to this country,” Cartwright said. “Our national devotion to religious freedom and tolerance is not Republican or Democratic. It’s American.”

Barletta said each day, 325,000 people from other countries attempt to enter the United States. He said on the day the president’s order took effect, only 109 of those were denied entry.

“In no way can the order be construed as a ban on any particular religion,” Barletta said. “There are approximately 50 Muslim-majority countries in the world, and this order affects seven of them. These seven nations were identified as terrorist havens by none other than the Obama administration, and it was this designation which President Trump used in selecting them.”

Barletta contended that President Barack Obama did the same thing when he suspended refugee applications from Iraq for six months in 2011.

“I somehow do not recall the same level of outrage at that time,” Barletta said. “It is now, as it was then, within the president’s authority to suspend or halt the admission of people from certain nations in the interest of American national security.”

Barletta’s comments followed several made Friday when Trump’s executive order was issued, suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, focusing specifically on Syria and six other countries known to be hotbeds of terrorism — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The executive order halted the entire refugee program for 120 days, while also barring the admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely. Additionally, the order barred the admission of people from the other six countries for 90 days.

Trump also ordered a review of the screening, or vetting, process until it can be determined that refugee applicants are indeed the individuals they claim to be. The Department of Homeland Security has stated that the order will not impact Legal Permanent Residents, or holders of green cards.

PA’s senators offer comments

• U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville: “It is crucial that our nation strike the right balance between defending our people against the deadly threat of international terrorism and providing a safe haven for innocent refugees seeking peace and freedom. I support the administration’s decision to increase vetting and temporarily suspend the admission of certain individuals from states that sponsor or provide safe havens to terrorists, or are too weak to prosecute terrorists within their borders.

“Unfortunately, the initial executive order was flawed — it was too broad and poorly explained. This apparently resulted in denied entry into the United States for lawful permanent residents and others who should have been allowed immediate entry. Fortunately, the administration has clarified that this order does not apply to Green Card holders and that the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security have the ability to grant exceptions which certainly should apply to, among others, foreign nationals who served the U.S. military in various support roles.”

• U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton: “This reported executive action is contrary to our values and our security. If news reports are correct, it will mean turning away children fleeing barrel bombing in Syria, women and girls fleeing human rights violations in Sudan and Somalia, and brave people who risked their lives to work with our troops in Iraq. Preventing these vulnerable people from resettling in the U.S. as refugees does nothing to make our nation safer.

“Further, lowering the level of overall resettlement will make it harder on our allies who are already absorbing the bulk of the refugees fleeing conflicts around the world. This reported executive action appears to be driven by politics and discrimination, not by recommendations from national security professionals.”

Cartwright
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Cartwright-2.jpg.optimal.jpgCartwright

Toomey
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Toomey-10-09-2016_mug-cmyk.jpg.optimal.jpgToomey

Casey
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_bobcasey42415.jpg.optimal.jpgCasey

By Bill O’Boyle

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Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.