It’s not an all-out ban on Muslims entering the U.S. that President Donald Trump promised during the election campaign, but it does feel like a first step in that direction.
Trump pushed forward with one of the most controversial planks of his platform last week when he announced a 90-day ban on immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim majority countries. He also hinted that he wasn’t finished.
Not surprisingly, his actions quickly spurred protests across the globe, as right-minded people railed against Trump’s latest executive order. And it drew scorn from others, including many conservatives who shared their positive experiences with people from countries on the Trump hit list.
It created global confusion, as people were left to wonder whether they would be affected by Trump’s travel ban, if they would be allowed into the U.S., if they would be allowed to return should they leave the country, and how this would affect family members still in those countries.
Courts in several U.S. states were quick to overturn Trump’s order, and this is one that will likely be overturned federally in quick fashion because of its discriminatory nature.
When one considers how many refugees and immigrants actually come from the seven affected countries, and when one looks at the number of crimes committed by people from those nations, it makes you wonder why Trump would even consider such an order in the first place.
There has been an influx of Syrian refugees during the past year, but these are people who are fleeing a war-torn country, not people who are trying to commit acts of terror in their adopted home nation.
We’ve already seen countless tales of how Syrian refugees have enriched the communities they now call home.
Trump says this is about national security. He says that it is about keeping bad people with bad intentions out of his country.
But this order is actually doing more to undermine U.S. security. All it does it build anti-American sentiment, not just in the affected nations, but in other countries as well. They’ll point to this as just another example of the evils of western culture, particularly in the U.S.
President Trump could ultimately prove to be the best recruiting tool ISIS has ever had, which would make him a bigger threat to national security than someone fleeing war-torn Syria, looking to start a new life.
It’s shameful there are people who still support discrimination, hatred and fear. It’s sad that people still believe a person’s skin colour makes them inferior, or that their religious beliefs and nationality make them a threat.
Canadians should be proud that their prime minister, premiers and other leaders have unilaterally opposed Trump’s actions, and that we’ve been so welcoming to refugees from Syria and other nations. Maybe Trump should take a more Canadian approach to his leadership.
