LANSING — State Rep. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) voiced her disappointment today regarding President Trump’s Executive Order to ban immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
“This is not who we are. This is not what we represent,” Santana said. “As a legislator who represents a portion of Dearborn, the largest Arab-American community in the United States, it is my responsibility to stand up on behalf of all of the people of my district. This order is steeped in prejudice and fear, and that is not how we govern.”
The countries included in President Trump’s executive order are: Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. While signing Friday’s order, President Trump elaborated, “We don’t want them here.”
“The rhetoric coming from the White House is in a category of the most divisive and negative language that I’ve seen since the 1960s struggle for civil rights,” Santana said. “As a woman of color who grew up during that era, ‘We don’t want them here’ is language that I have unfortunately been on the receiving end of far too many times. It’s unacceptable, it’s discriminatory, and it’s a disservice to the men and women of my district.”