Of all the Executive Orders and Memorandums released last week, the one that gained more attention than any of them was the Executive Order temporarily banning admission to the United States by some travelers from designated terrorist producing counties.
Some in the media and left-wing activists immediately began calling it a Muslim Ban inciting the anti-Trump protesters to action, causing havoc in airports across the country. The media and the activists then used that to say how the population was fighting back against the ban. The sad truth is: protests against this order were unfounded – not one time did the word “Muslim” appear in the order
Yes, folks were detained at airports, but that’s nothing out of the norm. Customs and Border Control routinely hold some travelers who enter our country for further questioning when necessary. And, in our climate, it is necessary.
Once the “Muslim Ban” mantra began running out of steam, the left began calling it a Refugee Ban. That is misleading as well. It does not only temporarily ban refugees. Some refugees, in fact, are still allowed to apply for asylum in this country when properly vetted. Just like it’s been for dozens of years.
What the order does do is limit travel from seven countries where terrorists are prevalent and/or produced and cannot or will not provide the data necessary to property investigate the individuals who are wanting to travel to the United States. These are countries where radicals are publicly stating they want to cause the west (not just the United States) harm. Those countries are: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia. All of these countries were identified by the previous administration and congress as countries of concern, not President Trump. Could he add more countries later? It is possible.
This is a temporary ban and could last up to 120 days, giving the administration time to review our current vetting processes to ensure those coming to our country do us no harm. During this time, several reports by the Department of Homeland Security, State Department and Director of National Intelligence are required outlining what they’ve found and suggestions on how to improve the process.
The order does not affect the thousands of people already in this country legally, such as “Green Card” holders. Nobody is going to be deported if they’re here legally. Another falsehood reported by some reporters and special interest groups.
The only downside to this order is it may take longer for refugees and immigrants to gain approval to enter the United States while their applications are vetted.
Personally, I don’t have any problems with the order as it’s written. The order doesn’t single out anyone and doesn’t ban anyone permanently. It’s a “pause” in the immigration system while we make certain it’s being done with the safety of the United States as the primary focus. We’ve paused before and we’ll, most likely, pause again in the future.
The thing we need to remember is this: like every other country in this world, coming to the United States is a privilege; it is not a right. It’s time everyone realizes that.
Don’t be a blind follower. You can read the entire order yourself here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/27/executive-order-protecting-nation-foreign-terrorist-entry-united-states