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Congressman Biggs' Statement on the Trump Administration's New Enhanced Vetting Procedures

October 25, 2017

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order to resume the U.S. refugee admissions program after installing additional vetting mechanisms to protect Americans from potential terrorists. This order was executed at the end of President Trump's temporary pause on refugees from selected countries, which encountered several politically-motivated court challenges. Congressman Biggs issued the following statement:

"President Trump and his administration were right to slow the influx of refugees from these countries, and I am pleased to see that he has taken steps to protect Americans from those who may do us harm. When President Trump took the oath of office at the beginning of the year, he assumed the constitutional duty to ensure that Americans were protected from all enemies – foreign and domestic – to the best of his abilities. Following an administration that did not take this responsibility very seriously, it is refreshing to see a Commander in Chief who takes meaningful steps to ensure the safety of his countrymen.

"While President Trump was well within his constitutional right to institute this temporary pause to enact additional vetting procedures, the courts that opposed his efforts were not. Many judges and courts around the nation wrongly assume the role of ‘legislator' and ‘executive' when considering these significant cases, which fundamentally erodes our Constitution and subjects our Republic to chaos. One of the most egregious offenders of the constitutional bounds of the judicial branch is the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which repeatedly makes decisions based on political motivations– and did so with President Trump's attempt to institute these enhanced vetting procedures. For this reason, I will continue to fight for my legislation to split the Ninth Circuit."

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Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.