A new ‘Muslim Ban’

 

President Donald Trump signs executive order, attempting to end birthright citizenship, other immigration actions. Photo: Micky

With the stroke of a pen, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order titled, “Protecting The United States From Foreign Terrorists And Other National Security And Public Safety Threats,” widely known as the “Travel Ban” and by some, the “Muslim Ban.” The order was signed on Jan. 20, hours after the president was sworn in.

The order begins a process of federal agencies determining which nationalities will face partial or total visa bans from countries where “vetting and screening” information is so deficient as to warrant blocking entry into the U.S.

The updated measure is a controversial law from Mr. Trump’s previous 2016-2020 term which targeted people from several Muslim-majority, Arab and African countries.

The new order intensifies scrutiny of those already in the U.S. and introduces provisions to possibly deport individuals who were lawfully issued visas within the past four years after the ban had been repealed. Former President Joe Biden reversed the ban upon taking office in 2021.

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Rights organizations are now gearing up for an anticipated battle against the “Trump Travel Ban 2.0,” which was expected to go into effect 60 days after its signing.

“People who came to what is supposed to be the land of freedom and opportunity completely legally are now being told to keep their heads down and their mouths shut, or the government may deport them because of where they were born,” said a statement by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, that opposes the measure.  

NIAC is urging the administration to reverse the policy and is calling on Congress and the public to stand against these measures.

The language of President Trump’s new order did not name any targeted countries. However, the 2017 ban targeted seven Muslim-majority nations: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and in 2020, was expanded to include Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Tanzania.

The measure was met with protests and legal challenges, however, the Supreme Court in 2018 upheld the final version of the measure, which covered 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries, ruling in favor of Mr. Trump’s executive power. 

In a statement, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) said it strongly opposes the Executive Order and called on the Trump administration not to stigmatize

and target entire communities, which they argued, only sows division.

“The new order goes a step further than its 2017 predecessor by adding language that opens the door to ideological exclusion by allowing the government to deny visas or entry based on perceived political opinions, religious beliefs, or cultural backgrounds,” said ADC in a statement.

Opponents view reenacting the law as another avenue for the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation agenda.

The order calls for: The U.S. State Department in coordination with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence to identify resources that may be used to ensure that foreign nationals “seeking admission” to the U.S., or

“who are already” in the U.S. are screened to the “maximum degree” possible. This will apply particularly to people coming from regions or nations with “identified security risks,” said the order.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), hosted a virtual community briefing on Jan. 23 about the potential impact of the president’s first executive orders on Muslims in America and other issues.

“Although President Trump did not immediately restore his original Muslim Ban, he signed executive orders that could set the stage for a new ban, upend birthright citizenship, embolden Israeli settlers to commit more horrific violence in the West Bank, and spark an unprecedented crackdown on both free speech and legal immigration to silence critics of the Israeli government,” said CAIR Director of Government Affairs Robert S. McCaw in a statement.

Some who were adversely affected by the measures in Mr. Trump’s first term are concerned about his second term.

For instance, the impact of President Trump’s original bans was extensive on Iranian nationals and Iranian Americans and other nationals who were targeted, according to NIAC.

Over 40,000 Iranians applying for nonimmigrant and immigrant visas were directly impacted by the previous ban, said the group.  During a Jan. 21 Twitter/X-Space discussion that NIAC conducted on the new order, panelists expressed concern about the new ban’s impact on individuals already in the U.S. and the broad definitions that could lead to deportation, particularly for those with ties to certain organizations or activities.

Human Rights Watch in a wide-ranging statement condemning President Trump’s immigration orders said Executive Orders that create “enhanced vetting” for visa applicants from “regions or nations identified as security risks” could lead to racial profiling.

“We will not stand by as governments trample on human rights,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement.

“We will hold the Trump administration and others accountable for policies that erode freedoms and undermine equality. And we will stand in solidarity with human rights defenders everywhere, which means ordinary people, in the United States and beyond who are fighting tirelessly for dignity, freedom, and justice,” she said.