A Republican lawmaker doesn’t see what the big deal is about taking a temporary pause to admitting refugees to the United States if they’ve already been waiting two years to come in to the country.
Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., said on CNN that President Trump’s executive order should be praised instead of criticized for temporarily banning refugees from coming into the country while the administration reviews the vetting process. The order has been stayed by a federal court and will receive a court hearing Tuesday.
“What’s your concern then about [another] 90 days?” Duffy said. “Let’s take a 90-day pause.
“This is for the administration to determine, that’s why they want to take a pause,” Duffy said when asked what parts of the vetting process need to be improved.
Refugees coming to the United States go through some of the most stringent vetting processes of any foreigners coming into the country. The process often takes 18-24 months and involves a number of federal agencies.
Trump’s order blocked all refugees from coming to the country for the next 120 days and all immigration from seven countries for the next 90 days. The order also blocked all immigration from Syria, including refugees, indefinitely.
Duffy said that was appropriate.
“The longer-term ban now … they might think you need a longer time frame to adequately vet them because they don’t have a government, they don’t have a paper trail,” he said.
He said the U.S. needs to be on guard against refugees because they could become radicalized in the United States, even if they’re dealt with decently.
“In that nightclub [in Orlando] and at the Boston bombing and in Nice … love didn’t quell the hearts of these radical people,” he said. “Love couldn’t do that. So, we have to look and say what is motivating these folks who are taking up arms and trucks and knives.”
