President Donald J. Trump recently issued a temporary ban of travel against seven countries heavily rooted in Muslim faith. This action was taken by executive order and affects the following countries: Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Sudan.
The purpose of this ban, President Trump stated, is to “protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States.” This order was signed to block refugees from entering the United States for 120 days.
But many feel the ban was instituted suddenly and without concern for how it would affect immigrants, There have been a lot of news reports about people being stranded in foreign countries and unable to return to the United States to be with their families.
Protests erupted across the country as a result of this executive order, including at numerous airports with thousands showing an outpouring of support for those affected by the ban. Foreign leaders such as UK Prime Minister, Theresa May and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, spoke out against the order. Even two prominent members of the Republican Party – Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham – spoke out against the ban, stating that it will only help recruitment by radical groups.
And there is some doubt that the ban will even be effective at achieving its main goal. There isn’t one country on the list that was among the countries from which the perpetrators of the terrorist attack of Sept. 12, 2001, came.
White House officials’ state that travelers from these seven listed out in the executive order had already been looked into by the Obama administration with regards to terrorism and brought causes for concern. Reince Priebus, the White House Chief of Staff stated that there could be more countries added to this order in the future.
Maybe if this policy and the impact that it is having on so many people had been better thought out in the first place, the problems it is causing would have been eliminated. Or maybe the ban never would have been proposed.
Until the Trump administration can come up with a policy that is more effective and causes less chaos and suffering, the ban should be lifted.
— Monica Pittman
