President Trump’s executive order on travel bans is nothing but irresponsible.
This travel ban has put an immediate 90-day halt on travel to the United States for individuals in seven Middle Eastern countries — Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq. As of now, the travel ban excludes those who are legal US citizens.
Coincidentally, the exceptions to the ban included countries that the Trump family has been doing business with and include Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. As a measure of “national security,” this is ironic, given Saudi Arabia was home to 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the terrorist attacks that took place Sept. 11, 2001.
Included in those being affected by the travel ban are Syrian refugees. The U.S. program allowing individuals from other countries to take refuge has been put on a 120 day suspension, and the Syrian refugee program has been suspended indefinitely. In addition, the cap on the number of refugees allowed in the U.S. has been reduced from 110,000 to just 50,000 people.
Many have already begun protesting the ban at national airports, and national organizations have joined them in expressing their antipathy for the recent ban.
Doctors Without Borders, an organization known for helping provide medical care to those in war-torn countries, called the refugee ban “an inhumane act against people fleeing war zones.”
The fine print of this order has left religious organizations rightfully outraged as well.
According to the New York Times, the order gives government officials the ability to admit people of other faiths at their own discretion. This has left many religious leaders like Joe S Vásquez, an Austin, Texas Bishop, to try to reassure the people that we must care for one another no matter what faith.
A statement taken from Vásquez taken Friday said, “We need to protect all our brothers and sisters of all faiths, including Muslims, who have lost family, home and country.”
Trump’s ban is an obvious direct violation of the Immigration Act of 1965, which banned all discrimination against immigrants based on national origin. This executive order has gone against the law that was put in place to help reunite families and bring peace between nations.
According to a New York Times article titled "Trump's Immigration Ban is Illegal," this ban could be sending a message that the U.S. is at war with Islam, not targeting terrorists. Even if it is reversed, the executive order by Trump could still end up doing more harm than good.
Thankfully, even though an executive order is legally binding, action can be taken to ensure the legality of the order.
While no one in office has officially come forward questioning the legality of Trump’s ban, we can only hope that after the obvious outrage by individuals and organizations, a legal review will be demanded, a reversal of the order will be initiated and those affected will forgive us.
