Trump's 'Muslim Ban': Where Does Your Representative Stand?

Since President Donald Trump signed his contentious executive order on immigration — which some officials claim amounts to a "Muslim ban" — and caused some airline passengers to be detained at O'Hare and other airports across the country, Democrat lawmakers in Washington, D.C., representing Chicago-area residents have been swift to condemn the measure that bans travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations.

But across the political aisle, the state's Republican legislators have been holding their tongues — or perhaps more appropriately, their Twitter-typing fingers — when it comes to supporting or opposing Trump's divisive edict. As of Monday afternoon, only three of the party's seven U.S. representatives from the Chicago area have addressed the issue, with only Rep. John Shimkus, from the 15th District, supporting it.

On Friday, the president followed through on another of his campaign promises by signing an executive order that:

• bans the entry of all refugees for 120 days
• bans Syrian refugees indefinitely
• blocks entry for residents of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.

The order went into effect Saturday, and by that night, more than 200 air travelers were detained under the measure at airports across the United States. At O'Hare, more than a dozen were held because they fit within the executive order's parameters. Detainees at U.S. airports were finally released Saturday night after a federal judge granted an emergency stay that partially halted enforcement of the order in response to a challenge filed on behalf of two Iraqi men detained Friday night at JFK International Airport.

RELATED: Check Out Patch's Coverage of This Weekend's 'Muslim Ban' Protest at O'Hare

But that ruling came after hundreds of thousands of protesters staged "emergency" demonstrations at O'Hare and other U.S. airports to object to the order and its impact. The O'Hare protest even saw U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from the Eighth District, and Brad Schneider, a Democrat from the 10th District, in attendance.

"I think it’s really important that good people across the country of all ethnicities, all religions, stand together," Schneider said. "I also know that the founders of this country, many of them fled religious persecution to come and make their homes here and pursue their dreams here — that’s our heritage. And the idea of locking our borders, closing our doors to people who are seeking refuge from persecution, from wars — many times based on religious beliefs — that’s not who we are as a country."

RELATED: Oak Lawn Man Detained at O'Hare Following Trump Order: Reports

While they might have lacked a physical presence at the O'Hare protest, other Chicago-area Democrat lawmakers lent their voices in support of opposition to the order. Here's what some of them had to say online or in public statements:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel

The mayor, who also was at O'Hare on Saturday night, immediately spoke out against detaining travelers at O'Hare on Saturday, and he also called for a citywide welcoming of immigrants, a response also directed at Trump's crackdown last week on "sanctuary cities" such as Chicago:

"One hundred years ago, the people of Chicago opened their hearts and their homes to my grandfather when he immigrated to this great city, fleeing the pogroms of Eastern Europe in search of freedom and opportunity. In that spirit, in the coming days my family and I will host DREAMers [legal immigrants to United States via the DREAM Act] attending Chicago Public Schools and Chicago City Colleges for a meal, a conversation, and a recognition and celebration of all that unites us, rather than what divides us. I am asking every interested resident of the City of Chicago to join us by hosting a similar meal in your own homes and at restaurants in your own neighborhoods, or by sharing welcoming words through a phone call or email. At a moment of unease and vulnerability for so many, let's come together as a city and put action behind our words and the values we hold dear as a welcoming city. Lets show the world that the City of Big Shoulders is also a city of big hearts."

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth

In a joint release, both senators condemned the executive order and called for an immediate investigation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection concerning the "potentially illegal implementation" of the order.

“The United States Constitution means little if law enforcement agents disregard it, or if Americans are unwilling to defend its principles and respect foundational constitutional rights, from due process to equal protection under the law," Durbin and Duckworth wrote. "The American people are relying on your independent investigators to serve as a check against a powerful law enforcement agency that may be violating the civil rights of LPRs [lawful permanent residents] and operating in violation of the law.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (3rd District)

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (4th District)

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (10th District)

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (17th District)

Among Democrat U.S. representatives serving Chicago-area residents, only Bobby Rush, of the First District, and Danny Davis, of the Seventh District, have not spoken on Trump's executive order as of Monday afternoon.

Also silent were many of the GOP's elected officials in representing the Chicago area. Only Shimkus has come out in support of the president in a statement he released Sunday:

“The reality is our world has grown more dangerous, and our enemies more emboldened in the last eight years. It would be irresponsible to ignore these threats, and to allow our inadequate screening of those entering our country from unstable or hostile regions to continue as is. This temporary halt will give Congress and the new Administration time to evaluate and improve the vetting process, and in the meantime gives Secretary Kelly authority to grant exceptions to the restrictions as needed. …"

And while U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger, from the 16th District, and Randy Hultgren, from the 14th District, have spoken against the executive order, their objections mostly stem from its execution and not the principles behind it.

"The President’s recent executive order has caused confusion among those asked to enforce it, and recent media reports have muddled facts and fiction," Kinzinger, whose constituents overwhelmingly supported Trump in last year's election, wrote in a statement he posted on Medium. "I urge the Administration to clarify the specifics on what should and should not be done to best protect our homeland, our people, and our communities."

Waiting until Monday afternoon to comment, Hultgren called the order "overly broad" and the interpretation of it "inconsistent and confused," adding that it "led to unintended consequences, like the barring of legal permanent residents and the rejection of Syrian Christians at the airport, a religious minority that was supposed to be protected by the executive order."

One thing all three representatives were united on was the detention of travelers with green cards, something the Trump administration backtracked on Monday, according to Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

However, the Illinois GOP lawmaker to have the best of both worlds has been Gov. Bruce Rauner, who expressed "serious concerns" with Trump's measure but wouldn't outright condemn it.

"Governor Rauner has always said we need to balance our tradition as a nation welcoming of immigrants and refugees with legitimate national security concerns to keep Americans safe from terrorism," a statement from his office read, according to Politico Illinois. "The governor has been supportive of tightening the vetting process for Syrian refugees because of ISIS attempts to infiltrate refugee flows — but he's opposed to immigration bans that target any specific religion."

Patch will continue to update this story.

More Patch Coverage:

• U.S. Soldier's Elderly Iraqi Mom Detained For 36 Hours At JFK Airport
  
• Trump Defends Order On Immigrants, Refugees, Says It Is 'Not A Muslim Ban'
  
• Immigrant Turmoil Prompts Nationwide Protests: 'A Moral Obligation'
  
• Trump Order Won't Affect Green Card Holders Moving Forward: Priebus

Demonstrators protesting against President Donald Trump's "Muslim ban" executive order at O'Hare International Airport on Saturday, Jan. 28. (photo by Jonah Meadows)

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