[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 20 (Monday, February 6, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S871-S872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 56--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE
UNITED STATES SHOULD REMAIN A GLOBAL LEADER IN WELCOMING AND PROVIDING
REFUGE TO REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS AND THAT NO PERSON SHOULD BE
BANNED FROM ENTERING THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF THEIR NATIONALITY,
RACE, ETHNICITY, RELIGION, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, OR
GENDER
Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Booker, Mr.
Reed, Mr. Carper, Ms. Warren, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Coons, Mr. Van Hollen,
Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Udall, Mr. Markey,
Mr. Wyden, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Franken, Mr. Brown, Mr.
Murphy, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Schatz, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Donnelly, Mr.
Heinrich, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Casey, Mr. Peters, and Mr.
Schumer) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 56
Whereas the United States is a country founded on the
principles of religious and political freedom;
Whereas hateful rhetoric against refugees and asylum
seekers betrays the principles on which the United States was
founded;
Whereas for centuries, people from around the world have
sought refuge in the United States in pursuit of freedom and
protection for themselves and their families;
Whereas people often seek refuge and asylum in the United
States to flee war, armed conflict, violence, and religious,
ethnic, and political persecution;
Whereas refugees and asylum seekers have been welcomed by
towns, cities, and States across the United States;
Whereas refugees and asylum seekers have made their new
communities stronger and more vibrant and have positively
contributed to the betterment of the United States;
Whereas the United States has a moral obligation to ensure
that people fleeing violence and persecution are protected;
Whereas the United States Senate should continue its legacy
of bipartisan leadership on refugees and asylum seekers;
Whereas a ban or halt on resettlement may result in
prolonged and indefinite family separation;
Whereas executive actions targeting refugees and asylum
seekers could place these most vulnerable populations at
serious risk of death or injury; and
Whereas refugees are the most thoroughly screened and
vetted entrants to the United States, undergoing multiple
security checks by the Department of Defense, the Department
of Homeland Security, the Department of State, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, and the National Counterterrorism
Center: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) it is the sense of the Senate that--
(A) the United States should remain a global leader in
welcoming and providing refuge to refugees and asylum
seekers; and
(B) no person should be banned from entering the United
States because of their nationality, race, ethnicity,
religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender;
(2) the Executive Order titled ``Protecting the Nation From
Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States'' issued by
the President on January 27, 2017, undermines the national
interest of the United States; and
(3) the Senate directs the Secretary of the Senate to
transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the
President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense,
the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the
Director of National Intelligence.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees has reported that more than 65 million people have been
forcibly displaced around the globe by the end of 2015. In the face of
such staggering human suffering, we must not shutter our doors and
abandon our foundational principle of religious freedom. Yet that is
exactly what our new President would have us do with the Executive
order he signed 2 weeks ago. This is not something I support, and for
good reasons.
Our freedom of religion was enshrined in the Constitution 225 years
ago. Since forging this promise, we have been a confident Nation
welcoming those of all faiths. The Executive order issued by the new
Republican President threatens these founding ideals and the very
freedoms we enjoy as Americans. It singles out Muslim refugees and
those fleeing violence in Syria, and it suspends the refugee program as
a whole. This is not the America I know. It is contrary to our values
and contrary to the example America needs to set for the world.
The ongoing conflict in Syria makes clear the enormity of the
humanitarian crisis we face. The terror inflicted by both Bashar Al-
Assad's regime and ISIS has forced more than half of Syria's 23 million
people from their homes and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands
of civilians. Currently, there are more than 4.8 million registered
[[Page S872]]
Syrian refugees, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and
children. Communities across the country, including some in Vermont,
started the process to welcome these refugees who have undergone years
of security screenings and vetting. Rutland, VT, is prepared to welcome
100 refugees, but to date only two families have arrived. One of these
families shared that their own children ``were exposed to a lot of
terror, and the sound of bombs and the sound of bullets and gunshots
all day long.'' This is no way to live. That is why I strongly agree
with Rutland's mayor Christopher Louras, who said accepting refugees
``is just the right thing to do from a compassionate, humanitarian
perspective.'' We must do more.
There are other humanitarian crises impacting the world. Closer to
home, ruthless armed gangs in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala
continue to brutalize women and children with near impunity. We have a
moral obligation to respond, and it is in our national interest to do
that.
National security leaders agree that anti-Muslim rhetoric is not only
contrary to our values, it also makes us less safe. FBI Director Comey
told the Senate Judiciary Committee in November 2015 that part of
ISIL's narrative is to depict the United States as anti-Muslim. The
Defense Department has made a similar point. House Speaker Ryan has
also denounced a ban on Muslims, noting that it is ``not conservatism''
to impose a religious test. A bipartisan majority of the Senate
Judiciary Committee agreed in December 2015 when it passed my amendment
confirming that ``the United States must not bar individuals from
entering into the United States based on their religion.''
The chaos and confusion caused by this Executive order at our
airports in the United States as well as around the world highlights
the recklessness of this administration's attempt to bar people based
on their religion and national origin. The devastation this is causing
to lawful immigrants and refugees fleeing violence is immeasurable. I
fear for my constituents who are lawful permanent residents of the
United States who also happen to be nationals of one of the seven
targeted countries. Due to the widespread outrage expressed by
thousands of concerned citizens and legal challenges across the
country, the Trump administration has now clarified that the Executive
order should not apply to legal permanent residents. But there
continues to be an understandable fear that the Trump administration
may again attempt to bar them from this country. Like them, I fear that
the Trump administration may again seek to bar lawful immigrants from
returning to their homes, work, and families in Vermont. I also fear
for the young Somali refugee in Vermont who has been patiently waiting
for the completion of the resettlement process so that his pregnant
wife and young son will be saved from the squalor of a refugee camp and
reunited with him in Vermont. And the man from Sudan who has been
waiting for his two young sons to finally be granted their visas to
join him and the rest of their family. And the husband whose Libyan
wife was recently granted a visa and has been waiting for the
International Organization for Migration to arrange her flight to the
United States. I am concerned for these families and for so many others
in Vermont and around the country.
Americans are bound together by our shared ideals. Among those ideals
are tolerance and diversity. They unite us as a nation; they make us
stronger. That is the message we should be embracing--one of inclusion,
not one of exclusion and division. Federal District Court Judge
Geoffrey Crawford perfectly encapsulated this sentiment at a
naturalization ceremony for 31 new Americans in Rutland, VT, last week.
The summary of his powerful remarks, which he directed particularly to
our new Muslim citizens, was this: ``You are equal in the eyes of the
law.'' This simple message is clear, and unequivocal: You are welcome,
you are equal, you are protected.
That is why I am introducing a resolution expressing the sense of the
Senate that no one should be blocked from entering the United States
because of their nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual
orientation, gender identity, or gender. Adoption of this resolution
simply reaffirms the basic principle that this country does not have a
litmus test. It will also show that the Senate will not allow fear to
undermine the very principles and values that we cherish and that we
have sworn to defend. The resolution is consistent with the strong
bipartisan actions taken by the Senate less than 4 years ago when we
passed comprehensive immigration reform legislation that included
protections for refugees and asylum seekers. I urge Senators to come
together once again in support of my resolution.
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