A Maine bishop, a state senator, the Maine Republican Party and a superintendent of schools issued statements Sunday regarding President Trump’s order suspending the entry of refugees to the United States.

Bishop Robert Deeley of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland said the president’s order has left many refugee families in Maine “filled with anxiety and fear about what will happen to them.”

“This time of grave difficulty for some of our brothers and sisters calls us to show our concern and solidarity,” Deeley said.

Deeley said the diocese will continue to support the Refugee & Immigration Services program of Catholic Charities Maine.

Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Deeley says the Portland diocese will continue to support the Refugee & Immigration Services program of Catholic Charities Maine.

“Extending ourselves to refugees is particularly important in Maine, where jobs and opportunities await their presence and contributions,” the bishop said.

State Sen. Mark Dion, D-Portland, the former sheriff of Cumberland County, called Trump’s executive order a “direct assault” on the U.S. Constitution.

“The president’s unilateral exclusion of individuals, in possession of duly authorized State Department visas, from lawful entry into the United States – for no other reason than their national origin or religion – is a direct assault on that constitutional protection and cannot be tolerated,” said Dion, a lawyer.

Ken Kunin, superintendent of schools in South Portland, issued a statement Sunday to students and their families.

“Following the news this past weekend, one can understand that a sizable number of our students and families, some of whom have overcome tremendous barriers to reach the United States to build new futures, are getting messages that they are not valued and not wanted,” Kunin wrote. “In particular, our Muslim students and families may feel that based upon who they are and what they believe that they are not welcome. Again, we say clearly and loudly that you are welcome in our schools.”

Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, told WCSH-TV that Trump’s executive order was founded on facts and intelligence data that the countries he targeted were not friendly to the U.S. and did not have proper systems in place to vet people coming to the United States.

Savage said that it is “not unreasonable to say we need to fix our vetting system and make sure it’s working, and that’s what President Trump is doing.”