Two congressmen from opposite sides of Long Island Sound are taking opposite positions on President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration.
Congressman Lee Zeldin, a Republican representing New York’s 1st District on the East End of Long Island, is defending Trump’s order.
“This is a temporary restriction. But this isn’t one that is lasting beyond just a short amount of time just to gain control over the entire situation and try to address whatever vulnerabilities can possibly be addressed.”
Zeldin says the order should not affect lawful residents and green card holders. He says he’ll be watching the situation closely to make sure mistakes are corrected immediately.
Meanwhile, Congressman Jim Himes, a Democrat representing Connecticut’s 4th District along the southwestern shore of the Sound, gave a passionate floor speech in the House of Representatives on Monday. He called on his Republican colleagues to pass legislation to reverse what he called Trump’s ill-conceived executive order.
“History is staring us in the face right now. It doesn’t happen very often, but it is staring us in the face right now. And when history stares you in the face, that is not a gaze that wavers. It stays for generations. And how you respond to that gaze and how you behave will be the stuff of stories to your children and your grandchildren.
So now is the time for the Congress of the United States to stand up to the bigotry, to the national security theater, to the destruction of our values with legislation that reverses this travesty of a decision that we saw this weekend.”
