Brownback changes message on refugees, ‘true religion’

Gov. Sam Brownback issued an expanded executive order last week that seeks to block any refugee who might pose a safety risk, not just those from Syria. That’s a disappointing reversal for Brownback, who was a champion of refugees when he was a U.S. senator. In a 2001 speech to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Brownback said that “true religion is taking care of the widow, the orphan and the foreigner amongst you, somebody that’s just in a more difficult spot than most everybody else.” He also said that “what we are doing in the United States in helping and resettling people is some of the most noble and ennobling things that we can do and can get done.” – Phillip Brownlee

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 6:06 PM.