US Somali community in Minnesota fears Trump's travel ban
Trump has so far been following his campaign promises. New Yorkers are famous for telling you how they feel and what they intend to do without sugar coating or mincing their words. Being a New Yorker, Trump hasn't backed down on most of his executive orders. It should come as no surprise that the latest executive order a ban on immigrants and refugees from Muslim countries ie Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Syria was passed on Friday, January 27th without a blink of the eye by Trump. Three of these countries are in Africa. Iran responded in kind banning U.S. citizens from entering the country. It is a consequential response. The African Union was one of the first regional organizations to also issue a response. African Union leader Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma slammed the ban by saying this telling truth, "the very country are people were taken to as slaves during the transatlantic slave trade have now decided to ban refugees from some of our countries."The recent appointed UN Security General Antonio Gutierres has also responded with a warning, "Blind measures are not effective against terrorism." Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister responded to the White House ban by saying Canada welcomes all refugees. Canada like the U.S. prides itself being a nation of immigrants although it was once indigenous land. However, unlike the U.S., the Canadian immigration system is based on high skill immigration. Canada has been receiving refugees and asylum seekers from across the Middle East for decades. Along with the ban, the White House has emphasized extreme vetting as one of the pre requisite for immigrants and refugees. There is already an extreme vetting process in place that takes the minimum of 2 years to just be granted refugee and asylum status in the United States for numerous families and single persons from anywhere in the world.
Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely while many refugees (referring to all countries) are denied entry into the U.S. for 120 days and immigrants from those countries are banned for 60 days. Visa issuances to the seven will also be suspended temporarily. Even Green card holders are affected by the ban. Green card holders who were already abroad when the order went into affect are now stuck in their home countries and are seeking help from immigration lawyers at embassies. Dual nationals will also be scrutinized depending on which passport they show to airport authorities. Students and doctors who go back and forth for research and to visit family and vice versa found themselves stranded at airports, detained and questioned for hours before being released. Some were not allowed to notify their families and friends of their whereabouts. Those citizens who are travelling from Sudan or Yemen for instance or already in the U.S. or are planning to visit relatives in their home countries have been warned by families not to travel at this time because they might not be let back in the U.S. Visitors and families are now separated from their family members in the U.S. Including parents separated from their children. Students such as Nisrin Omer a Sudanese national studying in California was detained by Homeland Security at JFK Airport and elsewhere in the first hours the ban went into effect across the United States. Many U.S./international airports and airlines found themselves scrambling to understand what was going on when passengers were not allowed to board their flights in their home countries or even third countries' cities: Istanbul, Dubai, London or Bahrain.
Former CIA Director says, ban will make America less safe
The 7 countries have all been politically and socially destabilized by the United States and NATO recently and in past decades. Iraqi translators and interpreters among them Hamad Darwesh (who was one of the first detained people to be freed at JFK) who worked with U.S./UK troops and journalists during the early days of Anglo-American war were thrown aside once their services were no longer needed. They feel betrayed by the U.S. and British governments for risking their lives and now face death threats for their work. Others sold their homes and possessions to claim refugee status in the U.S. or UK. Afghan translators and interpreters are in similar limbo. Their lives are at risk but to seek asylum in the U.S. or the UK has not been easy. Iraqi and Afghan interpreters have joined the hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing from Turkey and North Africa into Europe. Many people can not simply turn around and go home.
Hameed Darweesh, Iraqi translator with NY Representative Nydia Velazquez at JFK
Than EU and U.S. wonder why there are so much African and Middle Eastern refugees and asylum seekers hoping to rebuild their lives in EU and U.S. that destroyed their respective homelands. Keep in mind that the current list can grow to more countries over the next thirty days its just a matter of when. The list being rescind is another question. As many can imagine the ban has led to protests across the country and numerous lawsuits by affected families, CAIR, immigration lawyers and human rights advocates (legal help) are already being sent to the Justice Department in response to the White House. A federal judge in New York managed to temporarily block the ban that would've led to the citizens of the 7 countries being instantly deported from JFK and other airports.
PBS News Hour: Nisrin Elamin, Stanford Ph.D studen on her detention at JFK Airport Jan 28
U.S. authorities turn away Sudanese passengers now stranded at Khartoum Airport following Trump's ban-Al Jazeera Mubasheer Sudan
Ironically the order passed during Holocaust Remembrance Day, the regular Islamic holy day is on Friday and at the end of a week of celebrations for the Year of the Rooster in the United States. Trump's order to ban Muslims has more to do with xenophobia and racism than just protecting the homeland. He justified the ban with reference to September 11th and preventing terrorist attacks. None of the countries had any citizens take part in 9/11 or any recent terror attacks on US soil. Notice Saudi Arabia, Belgium, France and UK are not on the list of ban countries. By Trump and Homeland Security's logic the mentioned countries should be included because the recent series of terrorist attacks were caused by Belgian, British and French citizens not refugees or aslyum seekers. The ban applies to seven countries that have been suffering from brutal wars with the exception of Iran. Yemen and Somalia are two of the poorest countries on the list whose citizens have been trying to live normal lives but are constantly interrupted by American/British drones, decades of war and the local terror groups Shabab and AQ in Yemen. Libya has been fighting against ISIS and its takfiri cousins in Sirte. Gaddhafi prophetically warned prior to his death that when he left power, Libya would have wahhabis and takfiris coming out the woodwork to destroy Libya. The ongoing militia struggle and ISIS infiltration in the small towns of Libya proved the prophecy to be true. All the countries have been accused of supporting terrorism in the past and present.
Muslim countries take in way more refugees than Europe, Canada and U.S. combined
The Right wing journalists, pundits and conservatives are quick to say that Syrian refugees and other migrants should go to Muslim countries or stay in the Middle East. Perhaps Trump doesn't know that Lebanon is home to 1 million Syrian, Palestinian and Iraqi refugees out of the country's population of 6.4 million. Keep in mind that Lebanon has been hosting Palestinian refugees since 1948. Turkey's refugee population is 2.7 million one of the largest in the region. While Jordan is hosting over 1 million refugees: Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, Kurds of any country. Iraq too has refugee camps for . Pakistan is home to 1.6 million people from neighbouring Afghanistan. Egypt also is home to Sudanese, Palestinians and Syrians. Sudan is currently hosting 100,000 Syrian refugees in Khartoum. Syrians are adjusting to Khartoum. Each of the mentioned Muslim countries above have taken in far more refugees than even Germany who was freaking out about taking in 1 million refugees in 2016.RT News: Trump provides "official stamp" for suspicious of Muslim communities
The White House and the Homeland Security Director insist that the ban isn't religious nor is it a travel ban. The White House's clarification that the ban doesn't apply to Christians or other religious minorities in North Africa and the Middle East. That alone confirmed for many and re.When Attorney General Sally T objected, she was fired and replaced by the interim AG Dana Boente of Virginia. Boente will be eventually replace by the soon to be AG Jeff Sessions. Sessions is a notorious Yes man when it comes to government policies and is a known racist.Trump is seeking to turn his White House administration into more Yes men (and his cabinet is made up almost entirely of rich white men) than critical technocrats.
Comments
Post a Comment