Editorial: Trumps executive order falls flat
Demonstrators carrying signs chant as they protest outside of the White House during a demonstration to denounce President Donald Trump’s executive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017, in Washington.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Since President Trump signed an executive order restricting immigration of 7 Muslim-majority countries, including Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Yemen and Libya, there has been a mixture of many different emotional reactions about the order. Trump defends his order by stating “my policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months.” In his efforts, he is trying to be “proactive” in the fight against terrorism. The ironic part about this ban is that Saudi Arabia is where 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers came from, yet this country is not on the list.
Overall, this ban has created mass confusion among foreign governments and politicians. This situation is unfair and unconstitutional. Right when President Trump put this order in action, immigrants were still coming in from other countries. Instead of being allowed to stay, these immigrants were immediately sent back. A Syrian family of 6 was sent back on a return flight to Qatar, even though they came to the US with a visa from a family connection. People across the US were outraged by this unfairness. If people were cleared and allowed to come to the US, they should be able to stay.
President Trump’s ban on immigration also doesn’t seem fair or logical because his order does not respond to a certain threat. President Trump attempts to compare his order with Obama’s by insisting that his “policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011,” when in reality, the statements don’t compare much at all. Obama’s order was more specific and responded to a specific threat, when President Trump’s order is much broader and includes multiple countries. Obama’s order targeted “special immigrant visa applicants” whereas trumps did not target anyone specific it targeted all types of visas. Also, Obama’s order didn’t “ban” refugees, he just slowed down the request process of refugees to come into the US. It seems as if though Trump uses Obama’s order to make his seem better and more appealing to the people because he himself knows it’s not fair.