Trump's Executive Order: "The Muslim Ban"

I will argue that the executive order is not an act to protect our nation, but much rather an attack on Muslims. Donald Trump’s most recent executive order, “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” declares that refugees from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya are forbidden to enter the country (S1). This ban is expected to last three months, but many people believe that this is a preview of a much broader immigration ban. At least 20 well-known Republicans have spoken publicly against Trump's executive order such as Charlie Dent, saying "This is ridiculous. I guess I understand what his intention is, but unfortunately the order appears to have been rushed through without full consideration. You know, there are many, many nuances of immigration policy that can be life or death for many innocent, vulnerable people around the world," (S2). Many people, such as myself, have been led to believe that this is an attack on Muslim refugees. Not only has Trump adressed this executive order as the “Muslim Ban,” but the order calls for the ban of refugees living in seven Muslim-dominated regions. Additionally, the executive order allows the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State to prioritize one group of refugees over another based on their religion. There are many indications in Trump’s executive order that this inspired entirely by the fear of the Muslims, such as a reference to the 9/11 attacks, suggesting “while the visa-issuance process was reviewed and amended after the September 11 attacks to better detect would-be terrorists from receiving visas, these measures did not stop attacks by foreign nationals who were admitted to the United States.” However, as the NPR editor and writer, Greg Myre, says, "This executive order does not include any countries from which radicalized Muslims have actually killed Americans in the U.S. since Sept. 11, 2001.” This means that the executive order accuses refugees of being affiliated to terrorist activities and radicalized ideologies. The executive order continues on to say “In order to protect Americans, the United States must ensure that those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes toward it and its founding principles. The United States cannot, and should not, admit those who do not support the Constitution, or those who would place violent ideologies over American law.” This is suggestive that the countries of which this order applies to are populated with refugees who “bear hostile attitudes” towards citizens and American law, and possess violent ideologies, such as religion. Rumors have surfaced, and rightly so, over a controversy of Trump prioritizing Christian refugees over Muslim refugees, as supported by this statement taken directly from the executive order: “... to prioritize refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country of nationality. Where necessary and appropriate, the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security shall recommend legislation to the President that would assist with such prioritization,” (S3). This also warrants the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize certain religious groups over others. This executive order has also been accused of being unconstitutional. Many believe that it is, as Politico Magazine describes it, "a direct assault on the fundamental constitutional values of equal protection and religious freedom." This executive order certainly has to do with religion, conflicting with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, denying refugees the right to access the United States solely based off of religion. As stated in my fourth source, the First Amendment “prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion...” (S4). However, this executive order prohibits certain groups and refugees of nations from entering the country solely on the basis of their heritage and religion. Sources:S1) http://www.cnn.com......S2) http://fortune.com......S3) http://www.npr.org......S4) https://en.wikipedia.org......;