A few days ago President Trump signed an executive order that suspends refugee admissions into the US for 120 days. Although our refugee admission system is one of the most vigorous regimens, that takes 18-24 months which requires background checks and interviews through several federal agencies; Trump said he would like even more strictures.
This suspension puts a halt to the Syrian refugee program indefinitely. When the Syrian civil war began, the US accepted around 12,500 refugees compared to Germany's 300,000, Lebanon's 1 million and Turkey's 2.7 million. Many US citizens seemed outraged by the admission of these refugees, saying "Why worry about people in other countries when our own veterans are homeless?" According to an estimation established in January of 2014, the US' population of homeless veterans was almost 50,000. Yes I do believe we should be taking care of our own people, and prioritizing those who fight for our country, but Trump wants to spend $15-20 billion on a wall...so why can't we also help refugees?
Not only did this executive order prevent the admissions of refugees, but it also bans the entry of primarily Muslim countries, such as: Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Libya, and Sudan. This ban will take place for 90 days after the initial signing of the order which was January 27. This unfortunately prevented legal US residents to be denied entry, until last Sunday when the Department of Homeland Security announced that only some of those "legal permanent residents" who pose no "serious threat" to our country would be allowed in on a case-by-case basis.
This order also showed prioritization of refugees; meaning the White House would prioritize Christians from the Middle East over Muslims.
This obviously caused great despair around the world. Valid visa holders, approved refugees, non-US dual citizens and legal US citizens were detained, barred from planes, and/or ordered out of the US upon arriving at airports. Many people were warned by immigration lawyers to not the leave the US in fear they would not be able to re-enter.
However, a few lawsuits are under way in federal courts in, Massachusetts, Virginia, New York and Washington state that challenge this executive order. Also, thousands of US citizens have protested at airports and courthouses during the few days after the signing of this order, where they show their support of migrants and their families. Taxi drivers in New York have also staged a stoppage of work protest at JFK airport.
Many celebrities and big time companies have spoken out against this policy. Trump has even fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates for "refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the American citizens".
