Wisconsin’s Freshman Congressman Says Refugee System Needs Fixing

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay, said President Donald Trump’s initial executive order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries wasn’t “properly coordinated.”

Gallagher said Tuesday in Green Bay the executive order, which has now been blocked by a U.S. Appeals Court, should have been presented to Congress.

Gallagher, a freshman lawmaker, said the current United States immigration system is “blinking red,” and said, “we face a threat unlike anything we’ve ever seen in terms of Salafi jihadism and the level of foreign fighters.”

“Our highest ranking intelligence officials have told us point blank that we don’t have the vetting procedures in place to understand how to properly vet refugee communities,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher represents Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District. He sits on both the House Armed Security Committee and the Homeland Security Committee.

He said any revised refugee admissions must be done “the right way.”

Gallagher said the U.S. should have a “legal, efficient immigration system” that keeps the country safe.

Gallagher said he is opposed to the aspect of Trump’s initial travel ban that blocked people who worked as interpreters or otherwise helped U.S. military in the Middle East. As a Marine, Gallagher served two combat missions in Iraq.