Schumer Statement on President’s Call for Travel Ban in Wake of London Attacks
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer released the below statement on the President’s call for a travel ban in the wake of the recent attacks in London:
“We have great sympathy for the people of London who have suffered this attack. We admire their strength in the face of this tragedy, and know that the English pluckiness will live on.
“The recent attack in London serves as a stark reminder that we must remain ever vigilant in the fight against terrorism. This new world demands smart policies that will actually keep our homeland safe, and we Democrats stand ready to support those policies.
“The President’s proposed ‘travel ban,’ if it had been enacted by the European countries who have been victims of recent attacks, would not have stopped these acts of terror. We now know that the President is wrong to suggest that his travel ban would have stopped the London attack or any other of the other recent string of attacks in European countries. Even if countries like the U.K, France and Germany had implemented the President’s proposal, it would have done nothing to stop the recent tragedies in those countries:
- None of the three London Bridge attackers identified by law enforcement to date were covered by the ban. They came from countries – the UK, Morocco, and Italy – that are not listed.
- The Manchester bomber was born in Manchester and held a UK passport, not covered by the ban.
- The attacker in Westminster was a UK citizen from Kent, not covered by the ban.
- The Paris machete attacker was Egyptian, visiting Paris on a tourist visa, not covered by the ban.
- The Paris police shooter was a French national, not covered by the ban.
- And the German Christmas market attacker was Tunisian, not covered by the ban.
“In addition and astonishingly, with terrorism on the rise, President Trump has also actually proposed cutting vital anti-terrorism funding in his budget last week. He has proposed cutting anti-terrorism funds, including a 25% cut to UASI, a program that is essential to major city police departments, including New York, in their fight against terror. These proposed cuts would make us less safe, and he should abandon them immediately.”
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