Agency Level Policy Reviews and Executive Orders
Ongoing
Policy Summary
As the courts have nullified Trump’s ability to ban immigration from Muslim majority countries outright, the Trump Administration has used other methods, not currently under judicial review, to drastically lower Muslim immigration. The methods have included agency level policy reviews. An example of this is the State Department’s invoking of an emergency review of visa application vetting procedures from countries with “increased security risks”. This then allows the State Department to require applicants to submit years worth of personal information, making the process for obtaining a visa to the United States (which is already the longest and most comprehensive in the world) even more arduous. The Trump Administration’s methods also include executive action, such as the Executive Order issued on June 21st of this year that needlessly walks back on an Obama Administration’s commitment to limiting all visa application interviews to 3 weeks after the application is submitted. Additionally, in the name of “extreme vetting,” the Trump Administration issued an executive order asking for governmental agencies associated with immigration to review their policies in order to prevent “foreign terrorist entry”.
Analysis
The results of the Trump Administration’s efforts have unfortunately been successful, as nonimmigrant visas granted to those from 50 Muslim-majority countries were down 20% this April compared to April 2016. Additionally, visas granted to citizens of the six nations that encompassed the infamous second travel ban executive order, were down a staggering 55% last March compared to the preceding year. The effectiveness these steps will have on combating terrorism is highly suspect, as since 9/11 the vast majority of terrorist attacks committed in the United States have been perpetrated by American citizens. In fact, the risk of an attack will most likely be heightened through the demonization and alienation of the American Muslim community. Given these facts, it is clear that the true motive of these actions is not national security, but instead, the fulfillment of a discriminatory and unconstitutional pledge made on the campaign trail.
Engagement Resources
- Donate to Muslim Advocates – Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and education organization dedicated to combating Muslim hate, empowering American Muslim communities and fighting discrimination against Muslims through legal action.
- Find a Congressional Town Hall Meeting Near You – Search by town and state or zip code to find a congressional Town Hall scheduled near you. Voice your concerns about the Travel Ban and other Trump Administration policies directly to your Representative or Senator.
- Volunteer or donate to Amnesty International – Amnesty International is a new non-governmental organization focused on human rights. They have been on the tirelessly fighting the travel ban and advocating for refugees through both grassroots and legal action.
This brief was compiled by William Lucier. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief please contact william@usresistnews.org.
