Massachusetts' governor has written a letter to the Homeland Security secretary expressing concerns about the impact President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration will have on the state.
Gov. Charlie Baker's six-page letter to Secretary John Kelly stated that the Bay State is "clear proof" of how immigrants have improved America's economy and communities, and that the impact from Trump's travel ban will be "significant."
Baker's letter also offers suggestions on how the Trump administration could craft new policy going forward, including bringing in stakeholders to weigh in on proposed changes and rejecting "broad, 'blanket' bans on immigration" in favor of re-prioritizing the review process in an effort to identify the "small minority" of visa applicants who could pose as a threat.
"We do not need to abandon our humanitarian commitment to refugees in order to address the security threats raised by illegal immigration," he wrote.
Baker expressed his concerns with Trump's executive order earlier this week.
The executive order halts citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. on visas for a period of time, and will indefinitely halt the flow of Syrian refugees. In a hearing in Virginia, a Justice Department lawyer said the ban has resulted in the the government revoking more than 100,000 visas.
