Analyzing the Smoky US Travel Ban imposed on refugees on March 6, 2017
I tried to determine the motivation behind a Travel Ban issued in US on March 6, 2017 against certain nations. I tried to read the document directly instead of being influenced by numerous news articles.
My reading of the document, whose entire text is available here, leads me to believe that this move is a vindictive, politically motivated, irrational and causes harm to everyone living in US (not just the citizens).
Let's try to analyze this rationally and ask questions.
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy
No matter what your identity is, as a human, you are taught to protect the weak, stand-up against cruelty. If you protect the weak when you are strong, rationally someone else will keep you safe when you come become in your old age.
Who are refugees and what is their process to come to the US?
Refugee a person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
If you are a Tamil speaking person, you can identify the refugees as Sri Lankan Tamil's who fled to TamilNadu due to oppression based on race and language.
Safe and Sound nations welcome refugees as part of their commitment towards peace of the world.
India, after vetting, keeping in line with it's broad mindedness, welcomes refugees.
US follows a 2-year of vetting, and so far with it's broadmindedness has welcomed refugees too.
Britain, vets and welcomes them.
Australia, vets and welcomes them.
Germany, vets and welcomes them.
What happens when you block refugees from certain countries for a short period of time?
Nothing changes in practice. In theory, you create an opinion and give a signal to other countries and your territory is not a safe place. If that is not the situation, you are just oppressing the weak. This is happening with the United States banning people from certain nations.
It is politically motivated by a coward at the top of the government who signed this.
It is vindictive and reactionary to the defeat received from the judicial system trying to hold up humanities for the country.
It is creating divisive identity-politics, harboring people who side with racism and are phobic towards Islam religion in America.
It is giving way to hate crimes by racist-terrorists in America. Indians in first week of March 2017, were subjected to this with 2 deaths and 1 person wound with injuries due to racially induced gun-violence.
Now, to the text of this travel-ban:
The title says "Foreign Terrorists". In fact, US has 2 years to vet any applicant and determine if the person is a terrorist or not. This ban for 90 days is undermining the 2-years of vetting period.
The claim is:
It is therefore the policy of the United States to improve the screening and vetting protocols and procedures associated with the visa-issuance process and the USRAP
What can a 90-day ban achieve, which could not be done for more than 730 days? The document fails to answer that.
Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. These are countries that had already been identified as presenting heightened concerns about terrorism and travel to the United States.
Where is the proof?
Additionally, Members of Congress have expressed concerns about screening and vetting procedures following recent terrorist attacks in this country and in Europe.
What concern have they expressed and where is the proof? The terrorist attacks from the people of the above nation in US is 0. Why have not the members of congress raised concerns for racially induced gun-violence?
Nationals from the countries previously identified under section 217(a)(12) of the INA warrant additional scrutiny in connection with our immigration policies because the conditions in these countries present heightened threats.
Where is the proof?
The following are brief descriptions, taken in part from the Department of State's Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 (June 2016), of some of the conditions in six of the previously designated countries that demonstrate why their nationals continue to present heightened risks to the security of the United States:
It then, provides snippets on the crimes committed by the Individuals from the countries.
We can look at the entire list, which is claimed as an authoritative reference: https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2015/
Why is it citing the reports from 2015 for a 90 day action in 2017?
There are other nations in the list, why pick up only 7?
What has changed in 1 months that a travel-ban on Iraq is no longer included and suddenly that is considered safe?
This is answered here.
In addition, since Executive Order 13769 was issued, the Iraqi government has expressly undertaken steps to enhance travel documentation, information sharing, and the return of Iraqi nationals subject to final orders of removal. Decisions about issuance of visas or granting admission to Iraqi nationals should be subjected to additional scrutiny to determine if applicants have connections with ISIS or other terrorist organizations, or otherwise pose a risk to either national security or public safety.
If this is the case, just call the requirement that provide "travel documentation".
This still does not justify the prejudice displayed with countries as a whole.
The ban, tries to support itself by giving some examples like this.
Recent history shows that some of those who have entered the United States through our immigration system have proved to be threats to our national security.
The incident is this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Portland_car_bomb_plot
The person involved did not have a ground from Somalia. What makes the claim that the entire country is at fault?
Why is the 2010 incident being referenced for this Ban? Where are the incidents for other countries?
These are the glaring holes in the document.This was signed by someone who did not take effort to read the document. It was prepared by the salespeople for money.
As new challenges crop up, this bad-act will be forgotten soon. Keeping quiet does not seem to be right thing to do. Let us be aware, spread correct information and help to bring bad-actors down.