by Madeleine Albright, Janet Napolitano, Susan Rice, and others
January 30, 2017
The Honorable John F. Kelly
Secretary
Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
The Honorable Sally Yates
Acting Attorney General
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
The Honorable Thomas A. Shannon
Acting Secretary
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Secretary Kelly, Acting Attorney General Yates, Acting Secretary Shannon:
As former cabinet Secretaries, senior government officials, diplomats, military service members and intelligence community professionals who have served in the Bush and Obama administrations, we, the undersigned, have worked for many years to make America strong and our homeland secure. Therefore, we are writing to you to express our deep concern with President Trump’s recent Executive Order directed at the immigration system, refugees and visitors to this country. This Order not only jeopardizes tens of thousands of lives, it has caused a crisis right here in America and will do long-term damage to our national security.
In the middle of the night, just as we were beginning our nation’s commemoration of the Holocaust, dozens of refugees onboard flights to the United States and thousands of visitors were swept up in an Order of unprecedented scope, apparently with little to no oversight or input from national security professionals.
Individuals, who have passed through multiple rounds of robust security vetting, including just before their departure, were detained, some reportedly without access to lawyers, right here in U.S. airports. They include not only women and children whose lives have been upended by actual radical terrorists, but brave individuals who put their own lives on the line and worked side-by-side with our men and women in uniform in Iraq now fighting against ISIL. Now, because of actions taken by this White House, their lives have been disrupted and they may even be in greater danger if they are sent home. Many more thousands going through the process will now be left behind. More broadly, tens of thousands of other travelers, including dual citizens and, at one point, legal U.S. residents face deep uncertainty about whether they may even travel to the United States or risk leaving and being barred reentry.
Many of us have worked for years to keep America safe from terrorists. Many of us were on the job working for our country on 9/11 and need no reminder just how vital it is to destroy terrorist networks and bring partners to our side in that global effort. Simply put, this Order will harm our national security. Partner countries in Europe and the Middle East, on whom we rely for vital counterterrorism cooperation, are already objecting to this action and distancing themselves from the United States, shredding years of effort to bring them closer to us. Moreover, because the Order discriminates against Muslim travelers and immigrants, it has already sent exactly the wrong message to the Muslim community here at home and all over the world: that the U.S. government is at war with them based on their religion. We may even endanger Christian communities, by handing ISIL a recruiting tool and propaganda victory that spreads their horrific message that the United States is engaged in a religious war. We need to take every step we can to counter violent extremism, not to feed into it by fueling ISIL propaganda.
Perhaps the most tragic irony of this episode is that it is unnecessary. We do not need to turn America into a fortress to keep it secure. Since the 9/11 attacks, the United States has developed a rigorous system of security vetting, leveraging the full capabilities of the law enforcement and intelligence communities. This vetting is applied to travelers not once, but multiple times. Refugees receive even further scrutiny. In fact, successive administrations have worked to improve this vetting on a near continuous basis, through robust information sharing and data integration to identify potential terrorists. Since 9/11 not a single major terrorist attack has been perpetrated by travelers from the countries named in the Order.
The suddenness of this Order is also troubling. The fact that individuals cleared for admission were literally in the air as the Order went into effect speaks to the haste with which it was developed and implemented. We are concerned that this Order received little, if any scrutiny by the Departments of State, Justice, and Homeland Security or the Intelligence Community. Now that some of these individuals are here in the United States, and thousands of others are stranded, our government’s response has appeared disorganized and chaotic. As lawyers take steps to protect their clients who have been detained here or stranded at many other airports, the U.S. government will continue to face a flurry of legal challenges, which could have been avoided. Additionally, by banning travel by individuals cooperating against ISIL, we risk placing our military and diplomatic efforts at risk by sending a clear message to those citizens and all Muslims that the United States does not have their backs. Already, the international push-back has been immense, and threatens to jeopardize critical counterterrorism cooperation.
Fortunately, there is a way out of this self-made crisis. We know that your agencies did not create this situation and we particularly respect that many of you are working to mitigate its damage. Effective immediately, you can apply the discretion given to you under the President’s Order to admit into the country the men, women and children who are currently still stranded in airports. The process for doing this is well known to the security professionals within your departments. We urge you to execute it. While it is good to see the withdrawal of the application of the Order to legal permanent residents of the United States, your Departments can immediately work to allow other classes of people into the country, and remove the discriminatory prioritization implicit within the Order. Most critically, we urge you to draw on the insight of the professionals in your departments to recommend that the President revisit and rescind this Order. Blanket bans of certain countries or classes of people is inhumane, unnecessary and counterproductive from a security standpoint, and beneath the dignity of our great nation.
Dr. Madeleine K. Albright
Former Secretary of State
Janet Napolitano
Former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Susan Rice
Former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States
Dennis Blair
Former Director of National Intelligence
Admiral, USN, Retired
Michael Hayden
Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Samantha Power
Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Bill Richardson
Former Governor of New Mexico and United States Ambassador to the United Nations
________________________________
John R. Allen
Former Presidential Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL
Former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
General, USMC, Retired
Tony Blinken
Former Deputy Secretary of State
William Burns
Former Deputy Secretary of State
Bruce Andrews
Former Deputy Secretary of Commerce
Richard Clarke
Former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counterterrorism for the United States
Rudy DeLeon
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense
Heather Higginbottom
Former Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
Thomas Nides
Former Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
James Steinberg
Former Deputy Secretary of State
James Stavridis
Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe
Admiral, USN, Retired
Michael Morrell
Former Acting Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Matthew Olsen
Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center
Rand Beers
Former Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
John B. Bellinger III
Former Legal Advisor to the Department of State
Ambassador (ret.) Nicholas Burns
Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Eliot Cohen
Former Counselor, Department of State
Michele Flournoy
Former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
Eric Fanning
Former Secretary of the Army
Marcel Lettre
Former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence
James Miller
Former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
Wendy Sherman
Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Suzanne Spaulding
Former Undersecretary for National Protection and Programs, Department of Homeland Security
Michael G. Vickers
Former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence
Tara Sonenshine
Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Clara Adams-Ender
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
Ricardo Aponte
Brigadier General, USAF, Retired
Juan Ayala
Major General, USMC, Retired
Alyssa Ayres
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia
Donna Barbisch
Major General, USA, Retired
Jamie Barnett
Rear Admiral, USN, Retired
Jeremy Bash
Former Chief of Staff, Department of Defense
Daniel Benjamin
Former Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State
Charles Blanchard
Former General Counsel, United States Air Force
Jarret Blanc
Former Deputy Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan
Barbara Bodine
Former United States Ambassador to Yemen
Richard Boucher
Former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
David Brahms
Brigadier General, USMC, Retired
Mike Breen
Retired United States Army Officer
John G. Castellaw
Lieutenant General, USMC, Retired
Wendy Chamberlin
Former United States Ambassador to Pakistan
Derek Chollet
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Christopher Cole
Rear Admiral, USN, Retired
Bathsheba Crocker
Former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Jay DeLoach
Rear Admiral, USN, Retired
Abe Denmark
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia
John Douglass
Brigadier General, USAF, Retired
Paul Eaton
Major General, USA, Retired
Mari K. Eder
Major General, Retired, USA
Dwayne Edwards
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
Robert Einhorn
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation
Evelyn Farkas
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia
Gerald M Feierstein
Former United States Ambassador to Yemen
Daniel Feldman
Former Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan
Jose W. Fernandez
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs
Jonathan Finer
Former Director of Policy Planning, Department of State
Robert Glacel
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
Philip Gordon
Former Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf Region
Kevin P. Green
Vice Admiral, USN, Retired
Caitlin Hayden
Former National Security Council Spokesperson
Richard S. Haddad
Major General, USAF, Retired
Gretchen Herbert
Rear Admiral, USN, Retired
Mark Hertling
Lieutenant General, USA, Retired
Christopher P. Hill
Former United States Ambassador to Iraq
David Irvine
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
Arlee D. Jameson
Lieutenant General, USAF, Retired
John Johns
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
Deborah Jones
Former United States Ambassador to Libya
Colin Kahl
Former National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States
Claudia Kennedy
Lieutenant General, USA, Retired
Gil Kerlikowske
Former Commissioner, United States Customs and Border Protection
Charles Kupchan
Former Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Jonathan Lee
Former Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Homeland Security
Fred Leigh
Major General, USA, Retired
George Little
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
Deborah Loewer
Rear Admiral, USN, Retired
Donald E. Loranger Jr.
Major General, USAF, Retired
Kelly Magsamen
Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs
Randy Manner
Major General, USA, Retired
Thomas Malinowski
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Brian McKeon
Former Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
Philip McNamara
Former Assistant Secretary for Partnerships and Engagement, Department of Homeland Security
John G. Morgan
Lieutenant General, USA, Retired
Suzanne Nossel
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Affairs
James C. O’Brien
Former Special Envoy for Hostage Recovery
David Oliver
Rear Admiral, USN, Retired
Eric Olson
Major General, USA, Retired
Rick Olson
Former Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan
Charley Otstott
Lieutenant General, USA, Retired
Robert Pearson
Former United States Ambassador to Turkey
Glenn Phillips
Rear Admiral, USN, Retired
Gale Pollock
Major General, USA, Retired
Amy Pope
Former Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Steve Pomper
Former Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Michael Posner
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy , Human Rights and Labor
Anne C. Richard
Former Assistant Secretary of State, Population, Refugees & Migration
Leon Rodriguez
Former Director, U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Ronald Rokosz
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
Laura Rosenberger
Former Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State
Christopher Ross
Former United States Ambassador to Syria
Tommy Ross
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Security Cooperation
John M. Schuster
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
Eric Schwartz
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Stephen A. Seche
Former United States Ambassador to Yemen
Robert Silvers
Former Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy, Department of Homeland Security
Vikram Singh
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia
Elissa Slotkin
Former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Jeffrey Smith
Former General Counsel, Central Intelligence Agency
Julianne “Julie” Smith
Former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States
Michael Smith
Rear Admiral, USN, Retired
Matthew Spence
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy
Andrew W. Steinfeld
Former Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Seth M.M. Stodder
Former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Border, Immigration & Trade Policy
Jake Sullivan
Former National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States
Loree Sutton
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
Antonio Taguba
Major General, USA, Retired
Jim Townsend
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy
David Wade
Former Chief of Staff, Department of State
George H. Walls Jr.
Brigadier General, USMC, Retired
William Wechsler
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counterterrorism and Special Operations
Catherine Wiesner
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Willie Williams
Lieutenant General, USMC, Retired
Johnnie E. Wilson
General, USA, Retired
Tamara Cofman Wittes
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Moira Whelan
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
Jon Brook Wolfsthal
Former Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Lee Wolosky
Former Special Envoy for Guantanamo Closure
Tom Wyler
Former Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce and Senior Advisor for International Economics
Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D.
Brigadier General, USA, Retired
CC: Secretary James Mattis, Department of Defense; General Joseph Dunford, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Photo of Iowans welcoming refugees at the airport by Phil Roeder via Flickr.
Thank you all for your righteousness and action. But in light of the US AG Acting director Sally Yates getting fired tonight by Mr T, do you think that she took your letter home with her?
The difference between a true democracy and an elected dictatorship is that in a democracy there is a system of checks and balances, in which the actions of the government are scrutinized by appropriate departments and where the president will not be allowed to take arbitrary measures.
The actions taken by President Trump in the short time that he has been in office have been hasty, arbitrary, without any appropriate consultation and without any expert input. With a stroke of his pen, while surrounded by his courtiers, he has wreaked havoc with the lives of tens of thousands of people, many of them legal US residents. Such measures will not make America safer, but will have quite the opposite effect. These are the actions of an autocrat, not a democratic president. Overnight, he has turned the American democracy into an elected dictatorship. The possible consequences of such arbitrary rule are truly alarming not only for the United States but for the whole world.
All of the changes since the Lewis Powell agreement with the US Chamber of Commerce in 1971 and his elevation to the Supreme Court in 1972 has bit by bit, up to and including the “Citizens United” decision permitting unlimited funding for US elections, allowed the takeover of any semblance of democracy or even influence of human US citizens in the actions of “their” government. Corporations, lobbies, huge “donations”, tossing out of laws defending safety, workers’ rights, environmental standards, has led to the present farce where two very unpopular candidates vied for the vital job of POTUS, and we see the result and are surprised and shocked.