Kamala Harris: ‘Make no mistake — this is a Muslim ban’

by Brooke Seipel - 01/27/17 7:32 PM ET

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is ripping President Trump for his executive order on refugees, saying it is nothing short of a Muslim ban.

Trump’s order declares that “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States” and suspends their entry until the president has determined they have been sufficiently changed.

“On Holocaust Memorial Day, Trump restricted refugees from Muslim-majority countries. Make no mistake — this is a Muslim ban,” Harris said in a statement.

“We have opened our doors to those fleeing violence and oppression for decades, by presidents on both sides of the aisle. We can’t turn our backs on the millions of refugees who are contributing to our country and our economy.

“During the Holocaust, we failed to let refugees liek Anne Frank into our country. We can’t let history repeat itself,” Harris said.

Trump is also imposing a 90-day ban on entry to the U.S. for visitors hailing from “countries of particular concern” when it comes to terrorism. The order does not list specific countries that would fall under the ban.

When refugee admissions resume, Trump ordered his administration to prioritize claims “made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual’s country of nationality.”

That would allow the Trump administration to put Christians from Muslim-majority nations first in line for refugee status, a drastic shift from the policy under former President Barack Obama.

Tags Barack Obama