House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday he does not believe the United States should ban new Muslims from entering the country, despite renewed calls from Donald Trump to prohibit them in the wake of the terrorist attack in Orlando.
“I do not think a Muslim ban is in our country’s interest,” Ryan told reporters Tuesday. “I do not think it is a reflection of our country’s principles, not just as a party but as a country.”
Ryan said Trump’s ability to implement such a ban “is a question of immigration law.”
Ryan said the House last year passed legislation that would install a “security test” and not a “religious test” for incoming refugees from Syria and Iraq. The GOP bill, which did not become law and was blocked in the Senate, would have required high-level vetting for all incoming refugees from the two countries.
In a meeting with reporters following a closed-door briefing with fellow House Republicans, Ryan sought to avoid placing a label on all Muslims.
“This is a war with radical Islam,” Ryan said. “It is not a war with Islam. Muslims are our partners. The vast majority of Muslims in this country and around the world are moderate, are peaceful and tolerant. They are our best allies, our best resources in this fight against radical Islamic terrorists. It is important we honor that distinction.”
Ryan said House Republicans this week will take up a package of national security bills the GOP believes will help address the growing problem of terrorism in the United States.
Ryan said the legislation, a series of nine bills, was added at the last minute to the House schedule in reaction to the Sunday morning shooting in Orlando that left 50 dead and 53 wounded. The shooter, Omar Mateen, claimed allegiance to the Islamic State.
The House already passed the legislation during the 114th Congress but none have been taken up by the Senate.
“These are bipartisan bills that are necessary so that we can fight what is going on around the world and now in our own country,” said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
