[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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