Photo: Reuters
President Donald J. Trump fulfilled a campaign promise and issued a ban on Muslim immigration on Sunday, January 29. President Trump had often spoken of issuing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States during his campaign, until the U.S. could, in his words, “figure out what the hell is going on.” The seven countries included in the travel ban are Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
No person may enter the United States through any of these countries, even if they previously were residing in the U.S. Trump’s ban has caused a lot of controversy. Many activists and liberal leaders have called the policy “un-American” and “unjust.” They say it goes against what our country stands for. Engraved on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor are the words “give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
The President, however, sees the issue differently. He believes it is all about the safety and defense of our country. In his own words, he puts “America first.” He sees the halt on his immigration ban as very dangerous.
Federal Judge James Robart of Washington state was the first to halt Trump’s ban. Judge Robart has been heavily criticized by Trump. Here is a tweet Donald Trump had sent the morning after Robart’s halt:
Trump vowed to have the verdict overturned and seems to be willing to go as far as he needs to go to the Supreme Court if necessary. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco also ruled against the administration.
However, rather appealing to the Supreme Court, the president has withdrawn the policy and vowed to released a new ban that would satisfy the courts.
While the ban does not have judicial support, President Trump maintains that most citizens support the policy, and that only the media and liberal leaders are strongly opposed to this ban. Trump also uploaded the following image to his twitter, which was taken from a poll conducted by morningconsult.com and Politico:
The immigration ban has an effect here in the Northern New York. Several students who study at universities such as Saint Lawrence, Clarkson, and many of the SUNY schools are from the seven countries that Trump has banned immigration from. They are worried that they will not be able to return home, and furthermore, their student visas might soon become invalid and they will be forced to leave.
“They’re feeling fearful. They’re feeling frustrated. They’re feeling saddened,” says Tess Casler, director of Clarkson’s international student services. Clarkson has over 30 students from Iran alone.
The immigration ban has already taken some effect on the lives of the students. One student was denied travel to Italy, which was where he was going to continue his PhD program. Another student’s father was coming to visit, but was detained at JFK airport, and sent back to Iran.
Despite these controversies, Trump is adamant that the only way to keep the country safe is the ban that he has proposed. It may be more likely though, that Trump does reduce his ban to only a few of the countries, or perhaps certain areas of the countries. The ban he issued already has not been as comprehensive as what he had promised in his campaign. During his campaign, he stated that with his presidency, no Muslims whatsoever would be allowed to enter the United States. Nevertheless, Trump still seems outraged at the halt of his ban. He recently claimed that 77% of refugees that have entered the United States since the travel reprieve are from the seven countries he has deemed “suspect.”
Still, it may be months before we hear the final verdict on the constitutionality of the travel ban.
