Warren goes on tweetstorm over refugee ban

Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren went on a tweetstorm against President Trump Friday night for his executive order that calls for new vetting of refugees and those seeking to enter the U.S. from certain Muslim-majority countries, and a complete ban on refugees from Syria.

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 that their entry “is consistent with the national interest.”

“Let’s be clear: A Muslim ban by any other name is still a Muslim ban,” Warren said in her series of tweets. “Donald Trump’s order restricting immigrants from Muslim countries & freezing admission of refugees is a betrayal of American values.”

15 months ago, I traveled to the Greek island of Lesvos – the 1st stop for many Syrian refugees as they flee the terrors of ISIS. pic.twitter.com/Q02rbWqoWJ

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 27, 2017

I saw the shoddy, paper-thin rubber rafts that people cram onto with a hope & a prayer that they’ll make it across the choppy, rocky sea.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 27, 2017

I saw the plastic pool floaties parents put on small children, hoping that would be enough to save them if the raft went down. pic.twitter.com/C8HQpWIB11

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 27, 2017

And I met a 7-yr-old girl – younger than my own granddaughters – who had been sent out on that perilous journey alone. pic.twitter.com/00beGm7URo

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 27, 2017

I thought about what horrors must have possessed her parents to hand a wad of cash & their little girl over to human smugglers.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 27, 2017

Today, @realDonaldTrump closed the door on that little girl – & so many others who are running for their lives.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 27, 2017

Let’s be clear: A Muslim ban by any other name is still a Muslim ban.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 28, 2017

.@realDonaldTrump‘s order restricting immigrants from Muslim countries & freezing admission of refugees is a betrayal of American values.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 28, 2017

We are a country of immigrants & refugees, of people fleeing religious persecution & seeking freedom, a country made strong by diversity.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 28, 2017

The Syrian refugees admitted to the US last yr are kids, doctors, teachers, engineers, & college students who sought safety from terrorists.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 28, 2017

Turning our back on refugees because of their religion creates recruiting fodder for ISIS and other terrorist groups.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 28, 2017

On #HolocaustRemembranceDay, we remember what can happen when hatred & fear turns neighbor against neighbor. When we abandon those in need.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 28, 2017

I urge @realDonaldTrump: embrace policies that reflect America’s core values & protect our ntl security. Rescind this executive order now.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 28, 2017

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, but the Department of Homeland Security said they included Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq.  

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. 

Warren’s statements join those of other prominent party members such as Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and California Sen. Kamala Harris.