Trump’s Muslim Immigration Ban Betrays American Values: Dingell

Dearborn, MI — U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat whose district includes the largest concentration of Muslim Americans in the United States, denounced presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s fiery call for a ban on Muslim immigration Monday.

Trump’s remarks came a day after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history at a crowded Orlando nightclub popular with the gay community. Omar Mateen’s motives remain unclear for opening fire in the horrific attack that killed 49 and injured 53 others.

Early reports noted that Mateen had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, but FBI Director James Comey said Monday that Mateen also had expressed solidarity with the Boston Marathon bombers and and another suicide bomber. He appeared to be a “homegrown extremist,” Comey said.

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In his speech, Trump resurrected a call made earlier in his campaign for White House for a temporary ban on immigration from Muslim-majority countries. Mateen was born in the United States of parents who immigrated from Afghanistan.

Dingell, in a strongly worded statement, said the billionaire businessman’s proposed ban “betrays American values and is dangerous,” and that the Muslim members of her district are “as American as any I know.” 

About 40 percent of Dearborn residents are Arab Americans and many of them are Muslim.

“Donald Trump’s hateful speech today is further evidence that he is seeking to divide this country at a time when we must be united against evil,” Dingell said.

“In the days following September 11, it was the worst of times, but also a time that a Republican president pulled us together to ensure that we were united in defending what America stands for,” she said, referencing the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

“Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and being a melting pot for multiple cultural and national backgrounds are fundamental principles on which this nation was founded,” Dingell continued. “We knew what it meant to be American and stood together proudly so no community would be targeted.”

SEE ALSO

• Orlando Massacre Victims Include Detroit Woman’s Son
• Orlando Shooting Latest: Shooter's Conflicting Messages on Boston Bombers and Islamic State
• Trump, Clinton Face Off After Orlando Massacre

Image credits: Donald Trump (Gage Skidmore) and Debbie Dingell (University of Michigan), both via Flickr,  licensed under Creative Commons