As I'm writing this it's only been about 14 days since we inaugurated our president, Donald J. Trump. Most of the media, so far, have been focusing on Trump signing executive orders; nineteen so far! If you don't know, an executive order essentially directs members of the Executive Branch to follow a new policy or at least the one they want put in place.

There have obviously been some executive orders that have gotten more media attention than others. This includes Trump's order to have his administration “defeat ISIS” or his order to build a wall, despite Enrique Peña Nieto telling him that Mexico was not paying for it.

The one that strikes people all over as absolutely ridiculous and discriminatory is the Immigration ban. The ban, which has been coined as the “Muslim ban,” was enacted on January 27, 2017. It's an order that temporarily denies entry into the United States for people from seven Muslim- majority countries. This applies to Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, which are barred for 90-days, and Syrians are barred until he decides otherwise.

This all seems very surreal to everyone. It's almost like a joke that doesn't sit well at all. Trump has defended himself by pointing out that Obama has done similar actions when he was president. Trump referenced Obama's temporary order that halted people from Iraq from entering the United States.

A representative for former President Obama commented on Trump’s immigration ban saying, “In his final official speech as president, he spoke about the important role of citizen and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardians of our democracy — not just during an election but every day. Citizens exercising their Constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.”

In other words, the two executive orders aren't the same at all. Although they are similar, one is specific to a religion, while the other was specific to people from a certain country. Trump defended himself again by saying that it will kill terrorism and be a start to destroying ISIS. The problem with this is, many of the countries where terrorist groups and terrorists themselves have come from are not included in the ban.

Everyone in the media has seen the effects this ban has had on people. There have been citizens with green cards being denied access to the country, people have had their visas revoked and people being held up in airports for hours.

I have personally seen the fear in some of my friends for going on vacation. The parents of a friend of mine were supposed to be going on vacation but they were afraid to wear their religious attire because of the fear that the “Muslim ban” has instilled in them. It is unfair for people to be treated so terribly because of the country they were born in or for their religion.

All over the country, especially at many CUNY schools, there have been protests every day since this order was put into place. At Hunter College, protests are constantly taking place and currently, they're trying to make Hunter a sanctuary university! For all of those affected by it, know that you are not alone.

Not only am I standing with you but so is the CUNY school system. I urge everyone to continue to protest, to write letters, to do all in your power to make it known that this is not OK. Any little bit helps because everything makes a difference. Remember, never give up.