James Hathaway, professor of law and director of the Refugee and Asylum Law Program, is a leading authority on international refugee law. He is editor of the Immigration and Nationality Law Reports.

"Under international law, any refugee who reaches the U.S.—or even U.S. jurisdiction such as a military base abroad—cannot be turned away on grounds of either 'religion' or 'country of origin,' he said. The U.S. refugee resettlement program—under which we bring refugees to the U.S. from regions of origin—would also be illegal if it discriminates based on religion, which the Trump proposal appears to do."

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