Skip to main content

Costa Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order to Ban Refugees

January 30, 2017

MERCED, CA - A Los Banos resident and U.S. citizen, Ahmed Ali, and his 12-year-old daughter were stopped in an airport in Djibouti when trying to board a plane to the United States. The girl was issued an American immigrant visa the day before President Donald Trump's executive order was signed to ban individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Since the 12-year-old girl went through all the rigorous channels to obtain an immigrant visa, and her parents are U.S. citizens, she would have been admitted as a lawful permanent resident and immediately would have been eligible to file for U.S. citizenship.

Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement:

"Due to President Trump's hasty decision making, a 12-year-old girl with parents who are U.S. citizens and Los Banos residents is banned from entering the United States. My office is doing everything within our jurisdiction to help Mr. Ali and his daughter to get home as soon as possible and safely."

"As a member of Congress, my number one priority is Americans' safety both at home and abroad, and I think it's obvious that keeping a 12-year-old out of the country is not strengthening the safety of our nation. This executive order is having a devastating impact on hundreds of other individuals and immigrant families that thought the United States would be helping them seek refuge. The vast majority of individuals being detained or prohibited from entering the United States have already been through one of the most extensive vetting processes in the world. Clearly, President Trump's executive order was not vetted thoroughly by his Administration. Not only is it flawed policy, but it has the potential to be ruled unconstitutional.

"Let us never forget that America's diversity is what makes us strong. Banning individuals, mostly women and children, from entering the United States is not the American way. I will be supporting legislation that will rescind President Trump's executive order because the executive order is flawed and is not making the American people safer."