Trump’s Travel Ban Breakdown

All about the recent executive order which shook politics.

Jonathan Asphaug

What is it?

This last Friday, January 27th to be exact, President Trump, who had been in office for 7 days signed a controversial executive order, one of a long list of things the President has on his list to mark off in the first 100 days in office. This executive order specifically bans travelers and refugees including green card, and visa holders from 7 countries in the middle east including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and Libya for 90 days since the order (about 3 months). The order also indefinitely suspends the Syrian refugee program, and limits the refugees taken into the US from 110,000 people to 50,000 people. The most controversial part of the ban, is that the refugee system implemented gives privilege to religious minorities. Part of the reason why it is controversial is that it does not give clearance on whether or not this extends to religious sects, or religions as a whole. The problem being is that because the countries banned all happen to be of Muslim majority, and the fact that the president has frequently in the past talked of banning Muslims to enter the United States. Because the ban does not say if Shi’a Muslims will get priority over Sunni Muslims, or whether Christians and Jews will get priority over Muslims as a whole, you can probably see where the lines are drawn.

The Controversy

Another major part of the controversy surrounding this action is the fact that not a single one of any of the murderers who committed violent terrorist attacks or shootings since 9/11 were from any of the banned countries. They were based out of countries not listed on the ban (who also happen to have a Muslim majority) such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Turkey. Several of these countries also happen to be where Trump corporations have business interests. Due to these factors, plus certain campaign rhetoric, many people are claiming that this is the

Muslim ban the president promised. The defense states that these were in fact countries listed as “countries of concern” under the Obama administration, and that if Trump really wished to ban Muslims, he would have also banned other Muslim majority countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Oman, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mali, Niger, Chad, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, The Maldives, Eritrea, Djibouti, Malaysia, The Comoros Islands, The Cocos Islands, and Kuwait.

 

The Legality

Nonetheless, many people including his own staff are very frustrated with the president about this order, as not even the Secretary of Defense George Mattis was notified on this development until after the order was signed. There was no previous warning of this travel ban, no congressional discussion, and no press release until the actual signing ceremony. Many Trump supporters are now worried that several of the policies that they claimed were “campaign rhetoric” might come true, including a massive wall on the Mexico/US border. Also angry were many people who claim that this order is unconstitutional, and infringes on the first amendment citing the freedom of religion. Protests broke out at hundreds of major airports around the Nation, including DIA. However considering that in the past, the presidents have time and again placed restrictions on immigrants and refugees coming to the country, the law seems to favor President Trump in his decision, and will likely be upheld for the remainder of the ban.