California's Democratic representatives in Washington, D.C. are leading the fight against President Donald Trump's controversial executive order on immigration, saying they will introduce legislation rolling back the directive today.
Silicon Valley Rep. Zoe Lofgren said she will unveil legislation this afternoon and is reaching out to both Democratic and Republican colleagues for co-sponsors to nullify the ban.
Trump's order sought to freeze the admittance of all refugees, suspend immigration from seven mostly Muslim countries and require a review before legal permanent residents of the U.S. can return to the country. It's sudden implementation Friday caused chaos at airports as customs officials -- who had no warning of the changes -- struggled to interpret its effects, and sparked protests across the nation.
Lofgren said she expects Senate legislation being drafted by California Senator Dianne Feinstein and others to include language similar to her proposal.
"It's really very simple, (the legislation) would reverse the order by providing that no funds could be used to enforce the order and stating that the executive order would have no effect or force of law," she said. "We are reaching out to Republican members in the hopes that this could get enough Republican cosponsors that we could actually enact it but again that’s up to the Republican leadership."