WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday released the following statement after a federal judge blocked President Trump's executive order restricting refugees and immigrants from six Muslim-majority nations in Africa and the Middle East from entering the United States. Trump’s re-issued executive order was slated to go into effect on Thursday.

“Once again, President Trump’s reckless travel ban on Muslims and refugees is blocked because it’s illegal and contradicts our founding principles. Our number one goal should be to keep the American people safe, but this ban does the exact opposite. In fact, ISIS has already used it as recruitment fodder. President Trump needs to recognize this and rescind it immediately.”

Murphy introduced a bill blocking the executive order. Murphy’s bill would withhold funding to implement and enforce the executive order and declares the executive order illegal based on the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which banned discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin. In January, Murphy penned an op-ed in the Huffington Post about President Trump’s travel ban entitled, “How Trump Just Made America Less Safe.” 

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