President Trump. CNN screen shot
President Donald Trump’s new Muslim ban executive order barring entry for people from Muslim countries was again widely condemned after he signed it today.
Unlike the original ban suspended by a court this new one removes Iraq from the list. It won’t affect people who already had a valid visa or who have a green card or are permanent residents of the U.S.
The original list also favored religious minorities in Muslim countries which was clearly targeted at Christians, which critics said was discriminatory and also placed them at risk. The order suspends admittance of all refugees.
In a statement today Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said, “President Trump’s updated Executive Order is still coldhearted, discriminatory and detrimental to our security. This order is antithetical to our American values and what the Statue of Liberty stands for. I will continue to stand with New Yorkers in opposing President Trump’s discriminatory actions that hurt families in our community and undermine our national security.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in sharp language said: “Let’s call it what it is. This ban is a racist and anti-Islamic attempt to divide us up. A president who respected our traditions of religious freedom would not have resorted to hateful, anti-Islamic rhetoric to justify a ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries. Even the Department of Homeland Security has said that citizenship is not a factor in terrorist threats. This isn’t about keeping America safe. A president responsible for keeping our citizens safe would not hand over ideological ammunition to terrorists seeking new recruits to kill Americans.”
Meanwhile New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio added: “President Trump’s latest attempt at a travel ban is as discriminatory as his first one. The ban is a direct reflection of the President’s misguided ideas about immigrants, refugees and homeland security. The intent of this approach is to broadly vilify a Muslim community central to American life and to our security at home and abroad. Undermining this relationship through indiscriminate travel bans; rather than developing immigration screening capable of targeting real threats; endangers an American moral standard of inclusiveness that underpins our security.”
De Blasio added, “If the President took a quick look around his own hometown he would see that we don’t need to discriminate to be safe. In fact, New York City’s inclusiveness helps make this the safest big city in America. Thankfully, the stroke of a pen in Washington won’t change our New York values and it won’t make us any less proud to be the ultimate city of immigrants.”
New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said, “While the White House may have made changes to the ban, the intent to discriminate against Muslims remains clear. This doesn’t just harm the families caught in the chaos of President Trump’s draconian policies; it’s diametrically opposed to our values, and makes us less safe. My office is closely reviewing the new executive order, and I stand ready to litigate — again — in order to protect New York’s families, institutions, and economy.”
Last month Schneiderman filed suit against President Trump’s original immigration ban, and led a coalition of Attorneys General that opposed the ban in courts across the country.
The countries that remain on the list are: Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. Visa processing is suspended for 90 days in these countries are the Trump administration comes up with new “extreme vetting” procedures.
