“Give me your tired, your poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
These words are inscribed in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The 305-foot Lady is a gift from France which fought alongside the revolutionaries against British rule. The crown on the statue’s head is forever lit as a beacon of enlightenment and hope for newcomers in search of a better life.
The United States of America is a country founded and strengthened by immigrants. The first wave of immigrants sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to flee the onerous rule of the British king. They settled in the new country’s east coast to form the New England colonies. They were followed by the Irish who fled the famine and economic hardship in the Land of Ire.
More immigrants from Europe and Asia also came to America to form the bedrock of freedom and democracy.
With the stroke of a pen, US President Donald Trump declared that forthwith, America will no longer be a refuge for scoundrels—meaning immigrants who will maim, kill Americans and destroy American institutions. The Donald’s executive order stopped the US refugee program and banned immigrants from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia. Trump’s landmark order must be seen as the right of every state to protect itself from external dangers these terrorists pose.
Stopping the US refugee program and perfecting his plan to build a wall along the US-Mexican border topped the work schedule of President Donald Trump’s first two weeks. A US federal court, however, stopped Trump from implementing his order on migrants who still have pending cases appealing their deportation. Foreign travelers already granted US visas were not covered by the new executive order. Unclear in the Trump ban is the fate of immediate relatives being petitioned by US citizens and green card holders.
Protests and opposition mount because of the order’s clear religious and cultural bias. Trump’s said only Christians would be allowed as immigrants. Protesters massed at JFK airport and other major US gateways like San Francisco and Dallas. The film industry led by the Screen Actors Guild bashed Trump’s action as racially biased. Although the ban was meant to keep out Islamist terrorists from the US, human rights groups and civil libertarians around the world condemned the ban.
Trump’s “America First” policy is beginning to assume a xenophobic shade which could have dire consequences with confrontation from both sides of the religious divide.
“We welcome you, regardless of your faith,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, adding “diversity is our strength.” He was speaking to refugees fleeing persecution, terror and war. Canada is no stranger to terrorism. Last year, an Islamist terrorist went on a shooting rampage in the Canadian parliament in Ottawa. Despite this, Canada, the US neighbor to the north is still open to refugees of all faiths.
Former President Barack Obama weighed in to criticize Trump’s suspension of the refugee program. International coffee chain Starbucks also showed support for migrants by announcing it was ready to hire 10,000 refugees within the next five years.
Why doesn’t Trump impose the same strict requirement for migrants from the Czech Republic and Slovenia where his two fair-skinned and beautiful wives, Ivana and Melania, come from? The answer is pretty obvious, no pun intended.
“The Wall” which Trump first announced during the presidential campaign has alienated next-door neighbor Mexico whose President, Enrique Peña Nieto unilaterally canceled his Washington meeting with Trump. Although his White House press office said it was a mutual decision to cancel, outside observers see it as prudent move by Nieto to scrap what would have been an otherwise wasteful meeting. Of course, it doesn’t look good if a neighbor turned down your invitation to visit your house.
Someone asked: Why don’t oil-rich countries in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain take in some of the Muslim refugees considering that their integration would be seamless because of shared religious and cultural background?
The answer to that is because the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, and the dynasty rulers of the other Gulf countries, are afraid their reign would be in endangered if they let newcomers into their societies. Osama bin Laden who was killed by US commandos in Pakistan was a Saudi Arabian who wanted to end the rule of the Royal family.