This article was written by Isaac Chamberlain, class of 2019.
During Donald Trump’s campaign for president, he promised to institute a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Unfortunately, Trump kept that promise and signed an executive order titled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” which denies entry to people from Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Sudan: seven countries with a Muslim majority. Not only has Trump violated basic human decency, but he has also violated several clauses and amendments in the U.S. Constitution as well.
The first amendment in our Constitution states everyone is given freedom of religion. To single out a single religion and ban it from our country violates this amendment. At a rally in South Carolina Dec. 15, Trump promised to call for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” Through instituting the ban, he sent the message that the constitution can be twisted and manipulated as people who hold a position of authority see fit. The U.S. is a nation built on equality and opportunity, but Trump is attempting to deny that same equality and opportunity to Muslims simply because they practice Islam.
Furthermore, the ban violates the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart-Celler Act. The act tries to eliminate nationality, race, religion and ancestry as a basis for immigration. This means that denying access to Muslims because of their religion violates what the Hart-Celler Act stands for.
Trump, through his executive order, has sparked fear across the U.S. and separated families, forcing people with visas to choose between their life in America and their families in the Middle East. These are the fundamental ideas Trump has built his campaign and presidency on. He targets specific groups, turns ignorant supporters against them while creating the picture that he is only putting America first and protecting it from outside harm. Trump’s executive order is a product of his own nationalism and feeling of superiority over other countries; it’s what has caused war and conflict across the world for centuries. Trump’s executive order will not work towards making America “great.” America will only be great when the U.S. truly embraces freedom and equality among the entire population.
