Arab American Rep. Justin Amash hammers Trump's 'unlawful' immigration ban

posted on: Jan 31, 2017

By Malachi Barrett
MLive

“Unlawful” and “extreme” is how West Michigan Rep. Justin Amash described President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Amash, a second generation Arab-American and son of a Syrian immigrant to the United States, released a statement on social media Saturday afternoon. In a Facebook post and series of Tweets, the Republican representative of Cascade Township criticized Trump’s order as an overreach of executive power that undermines the constitution.

“It’s not lawful to ban immigrants on the basis of nationality,” Amash said in the statement. “If the president wants to change immigration law, he must work with Congress.”

Though Amash is among the few GOP members to air his concerns publicly, citizen demonstrations are springing up at American international airports this weekend after the immigration ban order was signed Friday.

Trump’s order blocks citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya from entering the country for at least 90 days. It also bans refugees from anywhere in the world for 120 days — and from Syria indefinitely.

“Ultimately, the executive order appears to be more about politics than safety,” Amash said. “If the concern is radicalism and terrorism, then what about Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others?”

Amash said he agrees with the new President that more needs to be done to vet refugees, but criticized the denial of entry to Green Card holders. He said the blanket ban represents an “extreme approach not consistent with our nation’s values,” which will perpetuate an “us vs. them” mindset that helps terrorist recruitment efforts.

“We must ensure that the United States remains dedicated to the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and liberty,” Amash said. “It can’t be stated strongly enough that capitalism creates prosperity and improves assimilation into society.”

Amash has taken to social media several times in recent months to criticize Trump, firing off “Dude, just stop” in response to Trump’s comments about Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.

Unlike many Republicans who endorsed Trump when he secured the GOP nomination, Amash never formally gave the candidate his support. He said he would neither vote for Trump nor Hillary Clinton, and would remain critical of Trump’s decisions in office.

Read Amash’s full statement, which attracted more than 1,000 comments and 4,000 shares on Facebook:

Protests against Trump’s immigration policies are scheduled in Grand Rapids Sunday as thousands of demonstrators converge on airports across the country.

Grand Rapids activists will meet at a demonstration hosted by Michigan’s Third Democratic Congressional District. The protest is planned from 3 to 5 p.m. at Gerald R. Ford International Airport.