These 73 sitting Democrats voted to ban visas from Muslim countries

Posted: Feb 2, 2017

Trump’s executive order is so modest that the foundation of it is essentially existing law. That law was passed unanimously by both bodies of Congress in 2002. In fact, it garnered the support of 16 Democrat senators and 57 Democrat House members who are still serving in their respective bodies! Following 9/11, Congress passed the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, which addressed many of the insecurities in our visa tracking system. The bill passed the House and Senate unanimously. The bill was originally sponsored by a group of bipartisan senators, including Ted Kennedy and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. (F, 0%). Among other provisions, it restricted non-immigrant visas from countries designated as state sponsors of terror: The directive to cut off non-immigrant visas from countries designated as state sponsors of terror is still current law on the books [8 U.S. Code § 1735]. Presidents Bush and Obama later used their discretion to waive the ban, but Trump is actually following the letter of the law — the very law sponsored and passed by Democrats — more closely than Obama did. Trump used his 212(f) authority to add immigrant visas, but that doesn’t take away the fact that every Democrat in the 2002 Senate supported the banning of non-immigrant visas. - List of democrats Cantwell, D-Wash. (F, 4%) Cardin, D-Md. (F, 2%) Carper, D-Del. (F, 10%) Markey, D-Ore. (F, 17%) Menendez, D-N.J. (F, 6%) Murray, D-Wash. (F, 2%) Nelson, D-Fla. (F, 4%) Reed, D-R.I. (F, 4%) Sanders, I-Vt. (F, 17%) Schumer, D-N.Y. (F, 2%) Stabenow, D-Mich. (F, 8%) Wyden, D-Ore. (F, 6%) Durbin, D-Ill. (F, 2%) Feinstein, D-Calif. (F, 0%) Leahy, D-Vt. (F, 6%) Udall, D-N.M. (F, 4%) ;