Washington (February 1, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman William Keating (MA-09) today led the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation in calling on Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Logan International Airport to fully and immediately comply with the temporary restraining order put in place in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order entitled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. The temporary restraining order, in place until February 5, 2017, ensures that international travelers arriving at Logan Airport are not detained or removed based on the Executive Order’s provisions, and that CBP notify airlines carrying those passengers. There have been reports that students, academics, and others seeking to enter the country through Logan are being detained under the provisions of the Executive Order, despite the issuance of a temporary restraining order by the federal court in Boston prohibiting such action.
Signing the letter are Massachusetts Congressional delegation members Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren; and Reps. William Keating, Richard Neal, James P. McGovern, Michael E. Capuano, Stephen F. Lynch, Niki Tsongas, Katherine Clark, Joseph P. Kennedy III, and Seth Moulton.
Full text of the delegation letter is below.
Clint Lamm
Boston Area Port Director
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Logan International Airport
500 Terminal E
East Boston, MA 02128
Dear Mr. Lamm:
We are writing concerning the situation at Logan International Airport in the wake of the Executive Order entitled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States that President Trump signed on January 27, 2017. There are reports that students, academics, and others seeking to enter the United States through Logan are being detained under the provisions of the Executive Order, despite the issuance of a temporary restraining order by the federal court in Boston prohibiting such action.
The temporary restraining order, a copy of which is attached, is in effect until February 5, 2017. It states that respondents — which includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — “shall not, by any manner or means, detain or remove individuals with refugee applications approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as part of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, holders of valid immigrant and non-immigrant visas, lawful permanent residents, and other individuals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen who, absent the Executive Order, would be legally authorized to enter the United States.” The order further directs CBP to “notify airlines that have flights arriving at Logan Airport of [the] Order and the fact that individuals on these flights will not be detained or returned solely on the basis of the Executive Order.”
It is a bedrock principle of our democracy that it is the province of the courts to say what the law is. Court orders must be respected and followed. Under the terms of the temporary restraining order, it is clear that, through February 5, 2017, and perhaps longer if the temporary restraining order is extended, no international travelers arriving at Logan Airport may be detained or removed based on the Executive Order’s provisions, and that CBP must so notify airlines carrying those passengers. We urge you to ensure that CBP immediately and fully complies with the temporary restraining order.
Sincerely,
