Though the Trump administration made superficial changes to its original executive order on refugees and immigrants, the new version is no better: it still creates a de facto Muslim ban and does grave, unnecessary harm to people around the world.
Support refugees. Stop the Muslim ban.
On January 27th, President Trump signed an executive order halting refugee admissions and effectively banning Muslims from seven countries. After the states of Washington and Minnesota filed suit, arguing that the order violated the US Constitution, federal courts have suspended it pending further review. Now President Trump is trying to circumvent the court’s decision by signing a new version with only superficial changes.
The new version still disrupts countless lives.
The new version of the executive order, unlike the previous one, will not restrict people with Green Cards or rob students and workers of visas that they’ve already been granted. Thanks to these changes, the new version is unlikely to cause the same level of immediate chaos when it goes into effect.
But this executive order still prevents millions of people from coming to this country: a Yemeni student about to receive an acceptance letter from UCLA, a Libyan surgeon finalizing the details of a skill-sharing trip to the Mayo Clinic, and a Somali parent trying to visit her terminally ill daughter would all see their plans disrupted under this executive order. While they could apply for waivers under the new version, the criteria are excessively strict and there is little reason to believe that the State Department has the capacity to create an efficient application process from scratch. No matter how the Trump administration tries to spin it, this executive order will block countless people trying to come to the United States.
The new version still discriminates against Muslims.
In an attempt to sidestep accusations of discrimination, the new executive order leaves out provisions extending special treatment to religious minorities—but this version still functions as a de facto Muslim ban. All six countries subject to the travel ban hold clear Muslim majorities. Visitors and refugees from these countries pose no risk to the United States, and there is no valid security-based reason to select this particular group. Though it does not bar all Muslims, the travel ban nevertheless appears designed to prevent thousands of Muslims from coming to the United States.
The new version still affects Iraqis.
Though Iraq has been taken off the travel ban list, this executive order still blocks numerous Iraqi citizens from entering the United States. The most vulnerable Iraqis, including those who have assisted the United States military, depend on the refugee resettlement program to enter the US. By suspending this program, this executive order does a tremendous disservice to men, women, and children impacted by US military action.
The new version still hollows out the refugee resettlement program.
Like its predecessor, this executive order suspends the entire refugee resettlement program for at least 120 days and cuts the number of refugees to be allowed into the United States this year by more than half. While the original executive order was even harsher towards Syrian refugees, barring them from the United States indefinitely, this version will still subject them to the 120-day block.
No matter what the courts rule on this new executive order, it is still an affront to our core values. It still denies opportunities to countless people based on the dominant religion in their country of origin. It still causes heartbreak and loss among Americans who can no longer hope to be reunited with their families. By turning away refugees in desperate need of assistance, it still adds a new edge of callousness and cruelty to our nation’s immigration system. And it is still a reprehensible statement about who is, and is not, deemed worthy of becoming an American.
Call your members of Congress today and urge them to support the SOLVe Act 2.0 (H.R. 1503), a bill to nullify this unacceptable executive order.
