The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) opposes President Donald Trump’s executive order Protection of the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States over concerns the order acts as a de facto ban on Muslim immigrants and was enacted in an inhumane and insensitive manner.
Trump’s executive order, which was announced on Jan. 27, requires the government to review the feasibility of suspending the Visa Interview Waiver Program. This program allows travelers from 38 countries to renew travel authorizations without an in-person interview.
Trump’s new executive order suspends entry of all refugees into the United States for 120 days. More controversial, the executive order indefinitely ends admission of refugees from Syria.
It also bars individuals from seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen — for 90 days.
To put these changes in perspective, the executive order reduces the number of refugees to be admitted into the United States in 2017 to 50,000, less than half of the previous level of 110,000 authorized by the Obama Administration .
On its face, the Trump executive order on refugees could be construed as an anti-terrorism policy that many Americans would find acceptable. However, for several important reasons, this action has become controversial and to many a counter-productive departure from the county’s previous refugee policies.
“NASW’s opposition to the Protection of the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States Executive Order is largely rooted in the imperative to preserve the long-standing American value of protecting human rights of the many vulnerable populations in the world.”
It also conflicts with this nation’s value of being a haven for those fleeing oppression and violence regardless of country of origin or religious beliefs. There are several parts of the announcement and implementation of the executive order that NASW finds objectionable.
Of greatest concern is the fear the executive order is a de facto “Muslim ban” and fulfillment of a Trump campaign promise to implement “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
The fact that the seven countries targeted in the Trump refugee executive order are predominately Muslim reinforces the perception that this was more about keeping a campaign promise to “ban Muslims” than an act to prevent terrorism. Indeed, reliable data indicate that since the inception of a national refugee program, not a single American was killed in a terrorist attack committed by a refugee.
A second area of deep concern for NASW is the wholly unacceptable, insensitive, and inhumane way this policy was implemented, resulting in confusion, inconsistency and rampant chaos at airports across the country and the world.
The hastily implemented policy forced immigration officials to deny entry of men, women, and children traveling to the United States from the targeted countries, creating unnecessary and undue hardships for travelers from these countries, with even individuals with valid “green cards” prevented from entry.
NASW applauds the thousands of protestors who inundated major airports nationwide to show support for and solidarity with the refugees who were at risk for denied entry. We also applaud the many volunteer attorneys who worked to put a temporary halt to implementing the executive order.
There is a certain irony to the fact that the country is currently honoring the late Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American who was a hero in fighting against the internment of native born and immigrant Japanese by the U.S. government during World War II.
Korematsu did not end his fight for immigrant and refugee rights after the internment camps were closed. During the remainder of his life, he was an outspoken champion for the rights of Muslims and other foreign-born Americans.
As stated by his daughter Karen, “Fear is ignorance. We continue to be a land of immigrants. That’s what America means to the world. If we don’t set the right example, we can’t expect the world to follow suit – especially when we are talking about civil and human rights. As my father said, and I say, this isn’t just a Japanese American story. This is an American story.”
NASW’s opposition to the Protection of the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States Executive Order is largely rooted in the imperative to preserve the long-standing American value of protecting human rights of the many vulnerable populations in the world.
Our national priority should be to find ways, within reasonable national security policies, to welcome refugees — not deny them sanctuary. We should also be reminded that many of the refugees from Muslim countries became displaced because of wars in which the United States has participated.
For more information contact NASW Social Justice and Human Rights Manager Mel Wilson at mwilson.nasw@socialworkers.org.
