WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement:

“A bad policy that’s been polished by lawyers and spin doctors is still a bad policy, and the President’s new Muslim and refugee ban is just the same story on a different day. We all know what Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani admitted: this Administration is trying to keep as many Muslims as possible out of the country while scraping past legal muster. Any way you cut it, that’s discriminatory, dangerous, and unconstitutional.

“The Muslim and refugee ban won’t make us any safer. In fact, even the President’s own Homeland Security Department says that banning people based on their home country won’t stop terrorism and only harms our nation’s security. This ban will cut off avenues of cooperation with important partners in the fight against terrorism.  The very people we need to combat violent extremism live in the communities targeted by this ban’s discriminatory measures.

“The President should learn a lesson from America’s past. The United States is a country of immigrants and must remain a haven for those fleeing persecution.  Mr. Trump should listen to the thousands who flocked to our country’s airports to protest his first attempt at this ban. Slamming the door on people because of their religion violates our laws, betrays our values, and ignores our history.”

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