Separating Fact From Fiction

This week, my Conway District Office welcomed students wishing to state their objections to some of the actions our president has taken that I have supported. It was a positive discussion, and as I told the reporter who covered the story, my office strives to accommodate the thoughts and concerns of all of our constituents. I love to see young adults, particularly students, engaging with their government on issues that are meaningful to them. Our doors will always be open to those who are in need of our help or want to express their views.

Never hesitate to reach out to my staff or me to discuss issues that are of concern to you. Remember, my Facebook page is a great resource to voice your opinions. I monitor the page closely and use it to get a feel for how constituents are reacting on a lot of key issues.

I want to use my column this week to further address some of the issues these students were protesting. While interviewing with the American people for his current job, now-President Trump made his ambitions for the first 100 days of his presidency unequivocally clear: focus on policies to spur growth and jobs, secure our border, and mitigate the rising threat of ISIS and other terror groups. And as is the case with all free and fair elections, his victory was the American people's stamp of approval on his agenda. While the expediency with which he has moved may be catching some off guard, the goals themselves should not.

Since day one, the core tenant of his immigration policy has been the idea that we need a wall across our Southern Border. Last week, he acted on that by signing an executive order to address border security.

In the last Congress, I made it a point to study this issue extensively by traveling to three very diverse points of entry across our shared border with Mexico.

During my trips, I met with the men and women on the ground working for the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and local law enforcement to better asses the challenges they are facing on a daily basis. The 1,954 mile long border than spans from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean is made up of very diverse terrain, and needs a more comprehensive approach if we truly want to secure it. One of the key findings from my trips was that while the wall does its job in densely populated places like San Diego and El Paso, it would not be nearly as effective on other parts of the border.

Every sector along the border has its own unique geography, economy, and traditions in regards to the design of our border security. Cameras on towers along the river, motion sensors, observation towers in more rugged terrain, and strategic use of aerostats are all important technologies that need to be considered as part of our strategy for protecting the border. The Trump Administration shouldn't make any final decisions without learning from the frustrated efforts of the Bush and Obama Administrations and seeking the advice of our Border Sector Commanders on the ground and policy experts at the House Homeland Security Committee.

The speed with which President Trump is working to deliver on his promises to the American people reached significant pushback from large sections of the population last weekend. The decision to suspend for four months the U.S. refugee resettlement program and to impose travel restrictions on those coming from seven countries including six war-torn countries with ties to terrorism and the number one state-sponsor of terrorism was much maligned.

Some of the criticism of the unveiling and implementation is justified, namely the undue effect the order had on green card holders, those with other valid U.S. visas and travel documents, and those who have faithfully served our Nation like the Iraq War interpreter who was detained at JFK. While some inconvenience is acceptable in order to keep our homeland safe, denying those who have undergone the proper legal process to be here is not. To that end, I was pleased when Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly announced that the administration will allow waivers to let green card holders avoid the travel ban, making it clear the president is willing to work to fix shortcomings in the original decision.

However, much of what has been reported ignores many of the critical facts that help to better explain the intentions of the travel ban. This Executive Order is not a "Muslim ban," but instead a brief pause on admitting citizens from the war-torn countries that the Obama Administration designated as "countries of concern" due to terrorist threats.

Despite the fact that over the past two years we have heard extensive testimony from high ranking Obama Administration Officials, including FBI Director James Comey, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and then-Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, on the lack of verification of critical data about refugees coming from of the war-torn countries of the Middle East, particularly Syria, these problems went largely ignored by the administration. The U.S. refugee resettlement program is one of the greatest humanitarian policies in the history of the world. Obama's policies put the entire program at risk, and this short pause in refugee arrivals will help the new administration design an effective process for vetting. And, importantly, many press reports fail to note the administration's proposed 50,000 refugee admissions planned annually.

President Trump's actions show he is serious about addressing a problem blatantly ignored by his predecessor while ensuring the protection of Americans and immigrants to the United States alike.

Much of the shrill reaction of last weekend can make it difficult to discern fact from fiction, but the ultimate fact is that America will remain a beacon of hope and land of opportunity for those facing persecution across the world.

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