This post is being updated as we continue to receive statements. Last updated 11:00 p.m. Monday.
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday created heavy backlash at airports across the country this weekend.
The order, which you can read in full here, temporarily banned people coming to the United States from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Libya. It permanently banned people coming from Syria. The order was effective immediately, putting in limbo those who were already on their way to the United States when signed.
Radio IQ News has reached out to all members of Virginia's congressional delegation for comment. The responses we've received so far are below.
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Senator Tim Kaine
“I am appalled by the cruelty the Trump Administration has demonstrated over the past 24 hours. By indefinitely suspending the Syrian refugee program and imposing a religious test at our borders, he has defied everything our nation stands for. He's also weakened our national security by empowering ISIL's narrative that the West is at war with Islam and encouraging Muslim countries to further cooperate with adversaries like Russia and Iran. For decades, America has acted as the Good Samaritan and extended a welcoming hand to those who yearn to be free. We should continue to thoroughly vet all refugees who enter the United States, but we cannot abandon our core principles. If we turn our backs on widows and orphans fleeing the very evil we despise, we do not defeat our enemies; we surrender to them.
It is also incredulous that at the same time the President is asking the Pentagon for new options to defeat ISIL, he is banning Iraqi refugees from entering the country. The government of Iraq is our ally in the fight against ISIL. Its troops fight alongside ours. Its interpreters risk their own lives and the lives of their families to protect U.S. personnel. It undermines our national security and endangers our soldiers to have our Iraqi partners and other Muslim countries distrust our commitment and motives. President Trump said he was ‘totally against’ the U.S. invasion in 2003, which led to Iraq’s destabilization and the rise of ISIL. I guess he is not ‘totally against’ leaving its people to suffer the consequences.”
Senator Mark Warner
“The Trump Administration executive order that indefinitely suspends the Syrian refugee program and pauses visas from Muslim countries runs counter to our American values. While I have always been open to a pause on our refugee program to ensure appropriate time for intelligence and law enforcement experts to ensure we protect our national security, these actions by the President presume the solution before the review is complete. It is a policy targeting Muslims that national security experts have testified would harm, not help, our national security interests. I join the interfaith community in Virginia and around the country in objecting to these moves, and I will work in Congress to block an effort which trades dubious increases in U.S. security for certain alienation of partners with whom we must cooperate to address terrorism."
Congressman Rob Wittman (1st District) No response after several emails
Congressman Scott Taylor (2nd District)
"I believe in the promise that is America and in the Constitution I defended and continue to defend. A ban on Muslims is unconstitutional. Having spent years across the Middle East, and literally having my life in Muslim hands numerous times, I know that religion alone is not the sole test of an individual’s character.
The President's executive order does not ban Muslims; simply read the text. The previous administration grew exponentially and expedited refugee programs, failed to work at the root cause, and made America less safe. Millions of Americans became uneasy and frightened with their policies. While I do not agree with some of the rhetoric, taking a pause, figuring out if we are properly vetting people, and making changes if necessary to continue our American principles is prudent and needed. The safety and protection of our citizens must remain our number one priority."
Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District)
“President Trump’s immigration executive order runs afoul of American values and our constitution by essentially creating a religious test for entry into the United States and denying due process to green card holders who have been unable to reenter the country. Furthermore, by slamming the door shut to refugees fleeing unimaginable violence overrunning Syria and Iraq, the President has seriously damaged the moral credibility of the United States and only bolstered anti-American sentiment that is a key recruitment tool for terrorist organizations, such as ISIS.
On its face, the President’s executive order as it pertains to refugees is a solution in search of a problem. In contrast to refugees entering Europe, refugees who are resettled in the United States go through a rigorous, multi-agency, multi-step vetting process that can take 18 to 24 months, during which time the refugee seeking resettlement is required to remain in a refugee camp. The overwhelming majority of those who make it through the process are women and children, survivors of violence and torture, and those with severe medical conditions. If the President is concerned with the current process, he should work with Congress to identify problems and make any needed improvements.
Finally, I am very proud of the thousands of Americans who swiftly took action by organizing protests against this executive order at major points of entry and that legal organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, immediately filed challenges to this order. These efforts send a clear message that the President’s actions are contrary to American values.
The President should listen to the American people and immediately rescind this executive order. If he fails to do so, Congress must take appropriate action to address the order’s constitutional problems and openly debate and vote on whether or not our nation should be a beacon of hope to the world.”
Congressman Donald McEachin (4th District)
"With the issuance of this executive order, President Trump has destroyed his moral authority to govern. The Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal. Our Constitution says we shall not favor any religion over another. And yet, the president has instituted a religious test for entry into this country.
Moreover, and every bit as tragic, as the words inscribed on the statue of liberty remind us "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," this is a country of refugees From the Separatists who landed in Plymouth almost four hundred years ago, through the a kaleidoscope and fabric of immigrants and refugees since then, this country has bene built by hard-working families coming to make a better life.
Every time we close our doors and rank people by religion or color or country of origin, it ends tragically, whether it is the genocide of Native Americans, the enslavement of Africans, the internment of Japanese-Americans and the slamming of the doors on European Jews and others who tries to escape the conflagration of the Fuhrer's reign
And for those who somehow think our own history and our own sacred documents are insufficient, for those who follow a Judeo-Christian tradition, make no mistake, our shared Bible is very clear on this. Either Leviticus 19:34, reminds us to treat the stranger as the native-born or Genesis 18:1-5 where Abraham, the father of three major religions, runs to greet the stranger and invite him into his tent to share what he has.
This executive order will continue to separate and destroy working families who call America home. Refugees with no safe haven who seek to find both safety and security here should not have to experience baseless challenges. Individuals who are immigrating to America through the legal process in-place, should not be turned away.
None of us can and should sit by idly while this anti-American immoral executive order is put into effect. I ask the President to repeal it and I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to use all suasion and legal authority to remove it."
Congressman Tom Garrett (5th District)
https://t.co/fkEOeIIoeL Here is the study cited. Math sound. 20 refugees have killed in US since 1975. Learning more b4 further comment.
— Tom Garrett (@GarrettforVA) January 29, 2017
"A temporary pause to review vetting criteria of refugees from regions with ongoing radical Islamic bloodshed is prudent in lieu of the FBI director's statement that such individuals could not be properly vetted. It is noteworthy that this pause is half as long as a similar action taken by President Obama.
Refugee-initiated violence manifested itself in a very real manner at a Berlin Christmas market just over a month ago. While radical terrorists in Orlando, San Bernardino, Chattanooga and Boston were either second generation or non-refugee first generation arrivals, the threats posed by radical Islam are nonetheless real. ISIS has indicated its wishes to use the refugee stream to infiltrate western nations. Our office has received information to substantiate these claims. With this in mind, a temporary pause for further review of the program only serves to fulfill the United States government's first responsibility to protect its citizens."
Congressman Bob Goodlatte (6th District)
“The primary duty of the federal government is to keep Americans safe. Today, President Trump has begun to fulfill this responsibility by taking a number of critical steps within his authority to strengthen national security and the integrity of our nation’s immigration system. As ISIS terrorists have vowed to use the immigration system to inflict harm, it’s imperative that we know who is coming and going from our country. National security officials have repeatedly warned that we dramatically lack the resources and information to fully vet refugees from countries of concern, like Syria.
Unlike his predecessor, I am pleased that President Trump is using the tools granted to him by Congress and the power granted by the Constitution to help keep America safe and ensure we know who is entering the United States. It’s sensible to hit pause on admitting foreign nationals and refugees from countries where adequate screening cannot occur, and it’s long past time for the completion of the Entry-Exit system in order to crack down on those who overstay their visas. I look forward to continue working with President Trump to ensure the safety and security of our great nation.”
Congressman Dave Brat (7th District)
"The presidents executive order is a temporary halt on migration from seven countries that were chosen by the Obama administration and by congress because they were the seven countries identified by intelligence as being the greatest threat to our security because they have a history of training harboring and exporting terrorism.
The halt on immigration will last only a few months until we have solid vetting procedures in place and it is important to note that yesterday over 300,000 folks came into the United States and only 109 people were delayed and asked additional questions to ensure that they are friends of our country and of those 88 moved on through yesterday.
The United States has always been a welcoming country and the Statue of Liberty is still smiling because we are making our country safe and secure as we take in and welcome over 1 million legal immigrants every year."
Congressman Don Beyer (8th District)
While the Congressman has not yet released an official statement, he is currently at Dulles International airport in Northern Virginia, demanding to see people who have been detained and actively working to have them released. You can follow along on his Twitter.
We have a constitutional crisis today. Four Members of Congress asked CBP officials to enforce a federal court order and were turned away.
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) January 29, 2017
Congressman Morgan Griffith (9th District) No response after several emails
Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (10th District)
"As I consistently have said, I don't believe it is constitutional to ban people from our country on the basis of religion. However, I do support and the House of Representatives has supported on a bipartisan basis - increased vetting based on national security concerns. The President's Executive Order issued yesterday went beyond the increased vetting actions that Congress has supported on a bipartisan basis and inexplicably applied to green card holders, people who are legally within our country who have followed the rules. Green card holders go through a detailed legal process and are vetted. They are required to register with the selective service - and many serve in the military. They pay taxes. I find it hard to believe that green card holders -- legal permanent residents -- were intended to be included in this Executive Order. This should be addressed and corrected expeditiously."
Congressman Gerry Connolly (11th District)
"President Trump's action slamming the door on refugees is a terrible step that will be remembered? like other racial measures like Chinese exclusion laws and Japanese internment. It is hateful and unAmerican. We must speak out before it's too late."