All of the political correctness aside, Trump’s executive order is essentially a Muslim ban, one that was a prominent goal of his political platform from the beginning. When Trump was elected, I truly believed that he wasn't capable of taking such a big step, so the news of his executive order really hit me like a bus.
Here is a brief run-down of what his executive order calls for: the entire U.S. refugee admission system has been suspended for 120 days while the Syrian refugee program has been suspended indefinitely; he has banned entry from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for 90 days, and has also temporarily banned entry of their dual-nationals; he's prioritizing Christian refugees over Muslim refugees, and he has lowered the number of refugees from any country from 110,000 to 50,000. If any of this just seems inherently wrong, it's because it is.
First, what many people (including Trump apparently) need to understand is that the U.S. is not, and never has just opened up its borders to refugees. The vetting process for refugees is extremely rigorous. The screening process starts with an application through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees after which they can be recommended for resettlement, but less than one percent of refugees worldwide even get to that step. Those who are recommended are then referred to the U.S. State Department to begin the actual vetting process which takes anywhere from 18-24 months. Only then is a refugee allowed to even board a plane. Despite how complicated it is, legislature continues to be passed to make the process even harder for refugees. At this point, Trump's ban does not do as much to keep refugees out as it does to reinforce the racism and xenophobia that is ingrained in the country.
The banned entry on predominantly Muslim countries is too vague to the point where there is no logical backing behind the concept. Furthermore, given Trump's hostility towards Muslims throughout the course of the campaign, it is not hard to understand that because of his own hatred for them, he has exploited the idea of generalizing them as terrorists as a weak defense for his beliefs. The problem with authorizing such discriminatory policies is that they enforce the idea that it is okay for our society to single out these communities. Given the diverse makeup of the United States, destroying the peace over such trivial differences is not a viable solution.
On a lighter note, I was able to attend a walkout against Trump's Muslim Ban at my school recently, and was really pleased to see the concerns that my school's community shared and the amount of support that people were ready to offer their peers who had been affected by the order. I am also sure that my school is not alone in standing up to Trump's discriminatory policies. In a state of affairs that is completely unpredictable, having a united community makes a huge difference.
The next four years are undoubtedly going to be a struggle for many people, but that is why it is important now more than ever that our support and respect for one another stay strong. I encourage everyone now to be vocal about the wrongdoings that they see, to monitor legislature as it passes through Congress, and to stay in touch with your representatives on such issues and make sure that your point of view is voiced.
