This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

As I read the news of the Senate's passing a piece of legislation that would stop incoming refugees from entering the United States, my heart sank.

After the many statistics from federal agencies regarding the number of refugees that have made this country home and have been peaceful community contributing citizens, after the pleading from religious leaders from around the nation, the men and women we have elected to represent us have voted to stop the immediate help of the world's most desperate people.

What has been said regarding blocking refugees entrance into our country, only helping Christians, sending some home and making them pass some kind of test makes me sick. What about all those people that were in danger of being swayed into a kind of extremist way of thinking? I doubt they are sitting on the fence any more. Not only is this idea of blocking refugees ignorant, cowardly, un-American, un-Christian, it was dangerous.

Today I am ashamed of my fellow countrymen, my fellow Christians, my fellow Republicans and anyone else that thinks blocking these poor people from the safety and comfort of this country is a plausible solution.

Ben J. Banks

Riverside