Pennsylvania Officials React To Trump Travel Ban
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pennsylvania officials are speaking out about President Donald Trump's travel ban.
The executive order Trump signed on Friday temporarily bans citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days. It also suspends the entry of refugees into the county for 120 days.
Government officials began to respond to the order over the weekend as protests took place at airports across the country.
Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat, spoke out against the order on Twitter, calling it "deeply inconsistent with [the country's] values" and saying it "won't make our nation safer."
.@realDonaldTrump made a political decision w/ exec order. Whatever the politics, I won't stand by as the promise of America is diminished.
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) January 29, 2017
Casey went to the Philadelphia International Airport with Governor Tom Wolf and other officials to speak to those who had been detained and their lawyers.
On Twitter, Wolf said, "William Penn founded our commonwealth as a safe place for vulnerable people fleeing oppression. This is not who we are."
Sunday afternoon, he planned to meet with the family members of six legal immigrants who were detained at the Philadelphia International Airport on Saturday night.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto voiced his opposition Saturday.
"It's rather interesting that we were a country founded by Europeans coming in to escape religious persecution and today we become a country that's targeting religious organizations and denying them the ability to come back to their own country," he said.
In contrast, Republican Congressman Tim Murphy told KDKA government agencies must verify that immigrants are who they say are where they come from.
"We know that many people that flooded into Europe didn't have documents had false documents, we know that ISIS was intentionally working on forging documents for people," he said. "Our first and main goal is the safety and security of the American people that means some many experience inconvenience for a while."
On Sunday, a joint statement from attorneys general in 17 states was released, calling the executive order "un-American." The statement was organized by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
The statement read:
"As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trump's unconstitutional, un-American and unlawful Executive Order and will work together to ensure the federal government obeys the Constitution, respects our history as a nation of immigrants, and does not unlawfully target anyone because of their national origin or faith.
Religious liberty has been, and always will be, a bedrock principle of our country and no president can change that truth.
Yesterday, multiple federal courts ordered a stay of the Administration's dangerous Executive Order. We applaud those decisions and will use all of the tools of our offices to fight this unconstitutional order and preserve our nation's national security and core values.
We are confident that the Executive Order will ultimately be struck down by the courts. In the meantime, we are committed to working to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created."
The other 15 signatures on the statement were from attorneys general in California, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Virginia, Vermont, Oregon, Connecticut, New Mexico, Illinois, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Maine and Maryland.
"I think the action taken by the president is really un-American and potentially illegal and I joined with 17 attorneys general from around the country, to put forth a strong statement and ultimately collaborate on what legal action we may take in the coming days here to undo the president's executive order," Shaprio tells the "KDKA Morning News."
Shaprio says he will stand with President Trump, "when he does something to strengthen our country and our Commonwealth, but I'll stand opposed to him when he doesn't' something that undermines our rights and in this case, I think it undermines our rights."
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Government officials were not the only ones concerned about the travel ban.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron shared a message Sunday, addressing concerns that students may have regarding the travel ban.
"Please know that the University fully supports all members of our academic community. We remain committed to respecting and honoring the dignity of each individual, embracing civil discourse, and fostering a diverse and inclusive community," he said. "We recognize and believe strongly that the diversity of faculty, staff and students enriches all of us and enables our mission of research, teaching, service and economic development."
Barron said, to the best of the institute's knowledge, no students or professors from any of the countries affected by the ban are currently travelling abroad.