There is no right way to start an article about a ban on a religion, on refugees and on people who are in desperate need for help. Moreover, there is little I can say that will exaggerate the terrifying consequences of President Donald Trump’s immigration ban.
President Trump’s executive order bars citizens, dual citizens and green card holders of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for a period of 90 days. These countries are Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. On account of this order and the apparent threat to national security that these countries pose, more than 100,000 visas have been revoked. According to President Trump, this unlawful ban against immigrants is the solution to saving America from terrorism. What he doesn’t understand, however, is that his failure to lead will only serve to accentuate the problem and give terrorist organizations like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) more confidence and power.
After only his first week in office, his callous and ignorant nature failed him. Instead of solving a humanitarian crisis, he is only worsening it. There is probably no country worse off than war-torn Syria. In 2006, there were more than two million people in Aleppo. By the end of 2016, there were 250,000, a mere fraction of the number of residents that once lived in the bustling city. Prior to the Trump administration, the U.S. accepted at least 10,000 Syrian refugees. Banning refugees from Yemen will also do more harm than good. Yemen’s civil war is often times considered a “forgotten war” because not many citizens have the money required to pay the people smugglers. However, with what we do know of Yemen, the situation is no better than Syria’s. There is pandemonium raging from every side—the government has been overturned, schools and hospitals are being bombed and women and children are dying as a result of starvation. The political vacuum and chaos has ultimately created the perfect conditions for ISIL and Al-Qaeda to flourish in the country.
“Prior to 2014, Yemen was facing challenges on several fronts that have been exacerbated by the conflict—high population growth, severe urban-rural imbalances, food and water scarcity, female illiteracy, widespread poverty, and economic stagnation,” the World Bank said.
The other five countries are no better off, facing economic and political unrest, genocide or civil war. After considering this, Trump’s reaction has been to turn a blind eye to these countries, to allow them to suffer in a time of need.
While it is not America’s duty alone to help these countries, it is our duty to help guide a path for other countries so that they can work together against ISIL, civil wars and an ever-growing refugee crisis. As an Indian citizen, I know that Donald Trump isn’t my president, but as the daughter of a Muslim mother and a Hindu father I fear what this man is capable of doing if he chooses to ban even more immigrants. The world is dependent on America just as much as America is dependent on the rest of the world. The President of the United States cannot turn a blind eye to a country in need, and he should not revert back to isolationist practices for his selfish means and accentuate a humanitarian crisis. He has a duty to his country, but also to the free world.
