Criticism of the Latest Refugee Ban

Image from quickmeme.com.

Yesterday the Trump Administration issued this newer Executive Order banning people from 6 of the 7 countries it named in the previous travel ban (Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia). Here is a Washington Post article which goes into more of the details concerning the order.

The very short version is that it’s only a less restrictive version of the previous order.
Interestingly enough, the order itself cites lawlessness and security concerns in the six nations it bans. Iraq also has some of those same concerns, but it gets a pass. Not only that, but in §1(h) of the order, there is a bald assertion that two former Iraqi nationals were convicted of multiple terrorist offenses. If this order seeks to improve security through looking at how refugees from embattled countries are cleared for entry, it seems like Iraq ought to still be on the list.

Another problem is that there are assertions over 300 refugees are currently under investigation for terrorism related offenses by the FBI. However, ongoing investigations require no disclosure to the press. Thus, the administration is trying to benefit from evidence it cannot disclose to the public. Whether this evidence actually exists or is completely fabricated shall conveniently remain a mystery.

And yes, the Trump administration has a problem with facts. His latest problem comes from a tweet he fired off alleging President Obama ordered wiretaps of his campaign. The Boston Globe article I linked to goes into specific detail regarding how there is no evidence which supports that claim. I highly recommend reading it.

The worst part is that it will still get challenged in court.
Despite the differences from the last order, it still is pretty sweeping in its application. On the plus side, it doesn’t deprive people of admittance into the U.S. who already have been given permission. That said, there isn’t much else going for it. The omission of Iraq (and any other country which has domestic turmoil and terrorist attacks) undercuts the very assertion that this is for security only.

Further complicating the matter is that President Trump made some very clear statements during his campaign about banning all Muslims from entering the country. Whether applicable or not, it calls into question the intent of this administration’s order. Is he trying to fulfill a campaign promise, or is he actually trying to roll out new security measures? If the latter, why does he have to restrict refugees in order to do it?

These questions will get raised in courts across the country, especially because refugees mainly come from dangerous situations. Nobody hears about refugees fleeing their comfortable homes to pursue extreme living in a war zone. It just doesn’t work that way. According to the Executive Order’s reasoning, no refugee could live here.

This order makes zero sense.
It’s just going to waste money in litigation and eventually get overturned in court. Without citing specific, searchable facts, even the offered basis for the order can’t be investigated by the public. There is no reason to expect that it will make the country any more secure.

In short, it’s a failure in every possible way.