S. Arizona's congressional leaders concerned about immigration, refugee ban

In a rare political alignment, the five members of Southern Arizona’s congressional delegation all agree that President Trump’s refugee and travel ban is flawed in some way.

Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally said she learned of “very real and dangerous gaps” in the vetting process of those entering the United States while serving on a congressional task force focused on combating ISIS.

With American intelligence officials previously conceding vulnerabilities with established vetting processes, McSally said it was prudent to take a comprehensive look at those procedures with any new administration.

However, McSally added in her statement there are issues with the executive order that must be addressed and fixed immediately.

“I have concerns about certain individuals being denied entry, such as green card holders, those who served alongside our military, and partner military service members who train here, such as Iraqi pilots in Tucson,” she said.

Republican Sen. John McCain offered a harsh condemnation of the executive order, arguing that barring entry to the U.S. from residents of seven Muslim-majority countries would do more to benefit ISIS than keeping Americans secure domestically.

McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, released a joint statement Sunday, calling the measure a self-inflicted wound.

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“This executive order sends a signal, intended or not, that America does not want Muslims coming into our country. That is why we fear this executive order may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security,” the pair wrote.

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said the measure backed by the White House is unacceptable when even legal permanent residents are being detained or turned away at airports and ports of entry.

“Enhancing long term national security requires that we have a clear-eyed view of radical Islamic terrorism without ascribing radical Islamic terrorist views to all Muslims,” Flake said in a posting to medium.com

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Arizona, labeled it as a betrayal of American values, calling the executive action a “Muslim ban.”

“The United States of America has never known a politics as toxic as this,” he said in a statement. “Donald Trump’s cowardice defines our national policy and reflects on our values for as long as he holds office, and I hope for all of our sakes, and for the sake of desperate refugees, that time period is as short as possible.”

U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran, a Democrat who represents District 1, agreed with McCain and Graham, saying the actions do nothing to protect Americans. “It ignores our real national security needs and has created chaos at our nation’s airports.”