America is a nation of immigrants. The ban is an insult to the very foundations of this country. It was not only a bad policy that was poorly executed-- it goes profoundly deeper than that. The ban threatens the very identity of America.
Felicity Wong
Oct 24, 2018
Discussion
A large migrant caravan was recently reported to have been traveling from Honduras, passing through several Central American countries (ex. Nicaragua) in order to reach the US border. This has raised a lot of controversy especially in light of the Trump Administration's agenda on immigration. Should the US turn these people around, or open up their borders to them? Why? What does this say about the United State's immigration policy? Is there anything in the system that needs to be changed, or do you think it's working right now? Source: https://www.vox.com/2018/10/24/18010340/caravan-trump-border-honduras-mexico
I agree, this ban is wrong. However, not all similar immigration bans all. Several years ago, Obama suspended visas from Iraq for a period of time. No one went wild...he was protecting national security as the president must do.
Joseph, I agree that there should be more people who are aware of the Obama ban, if only because knowing about it might shed some light onto President Trump's thought process. However, there are some really pressing differences between the two bans. For one, Obama's ban didn't truly ban the entrance of Iraqui refugees into the country, it only slow the review process. As well, the Obama ban only applied to Iraqui refugees and those applying for Special Immigration Visas. President Trump's plan, on the contrary, affects the lives of all people, whether families, business people, or any travelers who should be justified in their passage. Trump's plan affects the lives of a good 130 million people, and is the product of no direct event. Obama's, on the other hand, was the product of two arrests of Iraqui immigrants in Kentucky happening at the same time, and his ban simply wasn't to the same scale.
That isn't to demonize immigration reform, though; I just fear that President Trump is killing the possibility of the public's acceptance of reform while it is still in its cradle.
Banning people from one's country isn't bad. If the majority of the population doesn't want a people entering its country, their opinion should be respected. The problem arises when a particular community is barred on the assumption that some of them might turn out to be terrorists. Right now, it's the US fighting a war against militant organizations around the world. The US isn't just using its boots on ground but there are local people fighting alongside. The ban comes as a great disappointment to these people who consider the US as their friend. Moreover, the leadership of these militant organizations need reasons like these- the ones given by Trump- to exploit the uneducated masses to fight against the pro-US governments and militias.
I believe the same objective could've been achieved, but in a smart way
I agree. Argentina is also a country that has received immigration throughout the past two centuries and most of the population has European ancestors. Likewise people are still coming today, mostly form neighbouring countries like Bolivia and Paraguay and there has been a discriminatory attitude towards them. This multiculturalism that we are so proud of should be applied to all people and not by when they came to our countries. There shouldn´t be an attitude referring to newer immigrant as second class immigrants just because of their timing or country of origin.