Congresswoman Mimi Walters: Silence is consent

A Syrian father holding his daughter and son after being rescued from an inflatable raft that was losing air. Source: Daniel Etter

Congresswoman Mimi Walters: your silence in the face of President Trump’s executive order banning Muslims from 7 countries entering the United States is alarming for its implicit consent and your disregard for the strength that immigrants bring to your diverse constituency.

Orange County is home to an estimated 25,000 Muslims, despite the fact that at least one of them is the victim of a hate crime every day in the region. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations’s annual civil rights report, Orange County was home to 363 hate crimes against Muslims last year. Just two months ago, the Islamic Center of Tustin received a voicemail threatening to “drop a bomb” on the facility.

Yet, since Friday’s announcement prioritizing Christian refugees over Muslims, you have made no public comment indicating your position on the order.

Your only statement in recent days was to wish constituents a Happy Lunar New Year Saturday on Twitter. Noticeably absent from the thread on social media was any response from you or your staff to inquiries on the president’s controversial action.

You owe your constituents an explanation of your position. Voters sent you to Washington, DC to represent our interests, but you have been silent on questions that tear at the fabric of our community and standing in the world:

• What other instances of discrimination based on faith or religion do you support?
• Since there have been no terrorist attacks from the countries included in the ban, what security threat does the order address?
• What message does your support for the order send to Syrian refugees who are fleeing religious oppression at the hands of ISIS?

Last Tuesday, more than 60 constituents went to your Irvine office to be heard on the planned repeal and replacement of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. You did not address their concerns.

This Tuesday — January 31 — we are aiming to double that number to protest the ban on Muslims entering the country and demonstrate solidarity with our vulnerable neighbors.

And we will continue to demonstrate peacefully at your office until we are satisfied that you are appropriately representing the interests, character, and spirit of the diverse community you have the honor of serving.