Donald Trump, the United States President, just announced another travel ban. This ban will prevent the entry of nationals from the following countries: Burundi, Cuba, Eritrea, Laos, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo. It is this tiny, unfortunate decision that has caused the most outcry from national human rights organizations. Opposition lawmakers criticized the ban as racist and detrimental to national security.
In both cases, the divisiveness that the travel ban encourages is identified as one of the key features of Trump’s second term that merits condemnation. On their recent one-and-a-half-hour telephone call, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart covered an extraordinary range of bilateral matters. They left the meeting with a “very positive conclusion.” The cringe-worthy comparison underscores the disparity between extensive diplomatic courtship to foreign heads of state, while pursuing a highly restrictive and exclusionary agenda domestically.
Many human rights organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, have condemned Trump’s travel ban as “discriminatory,” “racist,” and “downright cruel.” Activists say the ban endangers lives. It jeopardizes the lives of those who have served on U.S.-funded missions and those who seek our shores for safety. Afghan women still waiting for visas report feeling ‘double-crossed’ and ‘left to die’ by this new limit.
Fatima, an Afghan women’s rights defender, expressed her horror at what the travel ban means.
“Unfortunately, the decisions made by President Trump turned all the hopes and beliefs of us into ashes.” – Fatima
Asking, Fatima expresses the feelings of countless Afghans who have endeavored to bring peace and security to their war-torn homeland. She is particularly intent on reminding people that our Afghan allies were integral in U.S. efforts in the region.
“We are not al-Qaeda, we are the ones who fought back, we are the ones who gave our youth, our strength, our physical energy, our voices, everything we had for the dream of a peaceful nation.” – Fatima
As lawmakers and advocates hail the defeat of Trump’s travel ban, they’ll have to make the case that travel bans do not improve national security. As Senator Adam Schiff noted, this policy is a repeat of what they did in Trump’s first term.
“This is Trump’s reckless first term travel ban all over again. Just like before, Trump’s expanded ban on travelers from around the world will not improve our national security and will only further isolate the US from the rest of the world.” – Senator Adam Schiff
The travel ban—which the Democratic Party has previously described as a “distraction”—is indeed distracting. They claim that it distracts from the greater challenges that our country has in front of us. Senator Chris Murphy on the use of this tactic. He proposed Trump strategically timed his announcement to distract from far more important narratives.
“Not a coincidence Trump announced his travel ban tonight. He’s trying to distract us from the core story.” – Senator Chris Murphy
The African Union Commission has joined the WHO in raising alarms over the ramifications of these novel travel bans. They lamented that the proclamation applies to many countries in Africa and it reflects an alarming direction of U.S. immigration policy.
“This new iteration of [Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ from his first term] is a continuation of that assault on the rights of vulnerable populations, especially Muslims and other minorities, and represents a dangerous abuse of executive power.” – The African Union
Robyn Barnard, policy counsel with Amnesty International, said these bans do not make anyone more secure. In fact, they do the opposite by disproportionately targeting our most vulnerable populations.
“Bans do nothing to make our country secure, but rather undermine our national security and arbitrarily target those most in need of protection.” – Robyn Barnard
The impacts of the travel ban go far beyond the political wrangling. Today, many of those Afghans who acted on behalf of U.S. forces find themselves even more at risk. CAI Shala Gafary noted the emotional impact on families whose loved ones are subject to the restrictions.
“The Trump administration’s travel ban will block vulnerable Afghans from reaching safety and prolong the separation of desperate families with loved ones in the United States.” – Shala Gafary