Thread: Maine Gov: Refugees Support Trump Travel Ban

LePage says larger, unseen issue for states are illegal immigrants seeking asylum

by Brendan Kirby | Updated 09 Mar 2017 at 12:38 PM

Although a Maine congresswoman calls President Donald Trump’s revised temporary travel ban “erratic, irrational, and inhumane,” the Pine Tree State’s governor said Thursday that refugees living there support it.

Gov. Paul LePage made the comment on “The Laura Ingraham Show” when asked about a local TV news report on opposition among refugees living in Maine. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) also blasted the order.

LePage disputed those accounts.

“I met with the Somali community yesterday in Maine, and they’re very much in support of Donald Trump … In fact, they gave me a letter to bring down to him,” he said. “Many are from South Sudan, and there’s a lot of genocide, a lot of problems. And they’re indebted to George W. [Bush] ’cause he brought them here.”

LePage said the refugees want input.

“What they’re saying, however, is they want to have some dialogue with him on how to do it,” he said. “This is what they’re tell me: Properly vetted, the refugee community will come here and they will do a good a job.”

After a federal appeals court in San Francisco blocked Trump’s first order temporarily freezing refugee resettlement and travel from seven terrorism-compromised countries, the president issued a narrower order that leaves American ally Iraq off the list and exempts permanent residents and people who already have visas.

The state of Hawaii has already challenged it in court.

LePage said the bigger issue that Maine has is with illegal immigrants who seek asylum.

“As long as they come here legally and they’re vetted, they’re contributors. I have no problem,” he said. “I do have a significant problem with asylum seekers and people that are here illegally. Because they cost more money and you don’t know what you’re getting.”

LePage said refugees have been successful at finding jobs. And he said it has not come at the expense of native-born Americans.

“We have more jobs right now that we can find people for,” he said “That’s our problem here in Maine.”

On another issue, LePage urged senators to “look themselves in the mirror” and do the right thing on repealing the Affordable Care Act.

"Repeal-replace is very very important. But equally important is you've got to reform," he said.

He strongly recommended a work requirement for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. He said 100,000 people in his state have given up commercial insurance to get free coverage under Medicaid.

"Free is expensive to somebody … Able-bodied people need to be in the commercial insurance," he said.

http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/m...mp-travel-ban/

Tell these "Somali's" we want NO more of them...no more people from anywhere for at least 20 years!

Go fix your own countries. We have our own people who want to work and do "good" here.