[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 34 (Monday, February 27, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H1341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MUSLIM AND REFUGEE BAN EXECUTIVE ORDER

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask my Republican colleagues to think about 
the message that President Trump's Muslim ban sends to our young 
people. What the President is telling them is that our doors are 
closed, that the tired, the poor, the persecuted, and the oppressed are 
no longer welcome.
  I reject that message, and I am glad to say that I have heard from 
many young people who reject that message.
  I want to read from a letter sent by a middle school student from 
West Orange, New Jersey, in my district. Her name is Calixta.
  Calixta wrote: ``Immigrants are basically what America is made of. . 
. . Immigrants work very hard in the country, they get things done. 
These people fight for their lives.''
  I am glad that Calixta recognizes President Trump's ban as a threat 
to American values, but I am concerned that other young people will see 
it and think it is okay to reject others based on how they look, how 
they worship, or where they come from.
  Mr. Speaker, the President's ban is illogical, it is dangerous, and 
it sends a terrible message to the young people of this Nation.

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