In a move that resembled one he made in his first presidency, Donald Trump banned all citizens from several countries from entering the United States. The order is sure to create controversy and arguments from all over the political spectrum. Let’s take a look at what the ban actually means.
1. 12 Countries Received Total Bans, 7 Received Limited Bans
Trump’s ban concerns the following 12 countries: Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Eritrea, the Republic of the Congo, Libya, Haiti, Myanmar and Iran. There are also partial suspensions for some from Cuba, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Laos, Burundi, Togo, and Sierra Leone.
2. The Ban Was Driven by a Recent Terrorist Attack in Colorado
Upon announcing the ban, Donald Trump stated that it was driven by an anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado. The attack was conducted by a man named Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national who had overstayed his tourist visa.
3. The Terrorist’s Home Country Wasn’t Included in the Travel Ban
While Sabry Soliman had overstayed his visa in the United States, that wasn’t enough for the Trump administration to include his country in the travel ban. Egypt’s omission from the list led to immediate criticism.
4. This Ban Targets Countries Differently From the 2017 Order
Trump’s 2017 Executive Order banned travelers from Iran, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, and Syria. This differs from his 2017 order that called for a ban on Muslim people from entering the United States. The order was heavily criticized, and Joe Biden revoked it upon taking office in January 2021.
5. Trump’s Proclamation Will Go Into Action Fast
Trump signed this latest executive order on June 4th and it will go into action on June 9th. While visas that were issued before that date will not be affected, it will be nearly impossible for people from the banned countries to get one after that date.
6. Trump Says That This Bill is Also Focused on Terrorism
The U.S. President knows that the order will be controversial, but he is already claiming that it is something he had to do to combat terrorism in the United States. He targeted countries that he says have high visa overstay rates and do a poor job of vetting travelers.
7. Some Countries Were Punished For Not Cooperating With Deportations
Since retaking office earlier this year, Donald Trump has focused on deporting immigrants, claiming that he is focusing on dangerous criminals. The White House says that countries that haven’t been cooperative with deportations are on the list.
8. The List Could Be Changed Down the Road
As with his tariff plans, Trump says that affected countries could negotiate with him for a better deal. Iraq was included in Trump’s initial Muslim travel ban but was removed from the list after promising to better vet its citizens.
9. The Measure Will Have a Significant Effect on Family Reunification Visas
A common reason for obtaining a visa is for family reunification, where a visa is granted to a person who has one or more relatives living in the country of destination. According to the National Foundation for American Policy, this move could prevent 25,000 people from obtaining these types of visas.
10. The Ban Does Nothing to Address Domestic Terrorism
While global terrorism has been a significant problem in the past, it has been on a downward trend since 2014. Today, the FBI has said that domestic terrorism, from citizens within the U.S., is a more prevalent threat.
11. Students and Tourists Will Be Heavily Impacted as Well
Trump has already been on the attack against foreign-born students, and this new order could prevent 10,000 more students from studying in the US. The National Foundation for American Policy also reports that 100,000 tourists could be denied visas.
12. Haiti Takes Another Hit From Trump
The country of Haiti has been a frequent target for the American president, as during his 2024 campaign, he falsely accused Haitian immigrants of stealing people’s pets and eating them. Now, Haiti is on Trump’s ban list.
13. This Drew a Rebuke From a Republican Lawmaker
Mike Lawler, a Republican congressman from New York’s 7th district, became the first GOP lawmaker to speak out against the ban. He was particularly concerned for Haiti, a country undergoing a humanitarian crisis.
14. Venezuela Called the United States Government Fascist
Venezuela was one of the 19 countries included on the list, and Diosdado Cabello, the interior minister, said that the U.S. government was fascist. He also said that the country’s people are being persecuted.
15. The Country of Chad Has Hit Back
Mahamat Idriss Deby, the president of Chad, mocked Trump while issuing a reciprocal ban on travelers from the United States. Deby wrote that while he does not have money or a plane to bribe Trump with, the country does have its dignity.
16. Democrats Say the Order is Based on Bigotry
Democrats have hit Trump for his arbitrary list and said that it would not make the country safer but would only alienate it from other nations. Congressman Adam Schiff went as far as to say Trump was governing by bigotry.
17. There Will Be Legal Challenges
With the extreme reaction from Democrats and the countries affected, there will undoubtedly be legal action taken after Trump’s order. Lawyers will argue that the measure is more about ideology and less about preventing terrorism.
18. The Challenges May Not Be Successful
Lawyers heavily contested Trump’s 2017 travel ban, and that resulted in the prohibition being rewritten by the Trump administration three different times. The third time, the Supreme Court upheld the order. Scholars say that the Trump administration has learned from their previous challenges and has written this bill in a way that will make it hard to overturn.
19. Is It All About Distraction
Just a few months into his second term in office, Donald Trump is taking criticism both for his tariff plan and his new tax bill that critics say would take from the poor to give to the rich. Some Democrats argue that Trump’s latest travel ban could be intended to divert attention from these issues.
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