Trump’s Covert Muslim Travel Ban Draws Political Backlash
Lawmakers accuse Trump of fueling Islamophobia through veiled travel restrictions
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Democrat lawmakers and social media critics are accusing President Donald Trump of rolling out a “bigoted” travel ban they say is riddled with “Islamophobia.”
“This discriminatory policy, which limits legal immigration, not only flies in the face of what our country is supposed to stand for, it will be harmful to our economy and communities that rely on the contributions of people who come to America from this wide range of countries,” Democratic Washington state Rep. Pramila Jayapal said in a Wednesday statement posted to her social media accounts. “Banning a whole group of people because you disagree with the structure or function of their government not only lays blame in the wrong place, it creates a dangerous precedent.”
The US president signed an order restricting travel to the U.S. from 19 countries. Twelve countries, such as Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, were deemed “very high risk” due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and high visa overstay rates, while seven other countries, such as Venezuela, Cuba and Laos, faced partial restrictions under the proclamation.
“The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas,” Trump said in a video posted on social media. “We don’t want them.”
“In the 21st century, we’ve seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign visa overstayers from dangerous places all over the world,” he added. “Thanks to Biden’s open-door policies, today there are millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country.”
Trump’s travel restriction announcement sparked widespread backlash among Democratic lawmakers and critics on social media, who slammed Trump for allegedly promoting Islamophobia.
“Just now, Trump has re-issued his disgusting, bigoted, andIslamophobic travel ban,” Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., posted to X. “This goes against our core American values while doing nothing to make us safer. We can do better, we must do better.”
“The immigration dictatorship just announced a ban on immigration for 12 nationalities with 7 more facing draconian discrimination as well. Horrible policies with no justification,” libertarian think tank Cato Institute Director of Immigration Studies David Bier posted on X.
“We’ve seen this horror show before,” Democratic Arizona Rep. Yassamin Ansari posted on Wednesday. “It’s not about security. The travel ban is cruel, racist, and un-American.”
The U.S.’ largest Muslim civil rights group, the Council on American Islamic Relations, also released a statement denouncing the travel bans.
“Automatically banning students, workers, tourists, and other citizens of these targeted nations from coming to the United States will not make our nation safer,” Nihad Awad, the executive director of CAIR, said in a Wednesday statement. “Neither will imposing vague ideological screening tests that the government can easily abuse to ban immigrants based on their religious identity and political activism.”
“Make no mistake: Trump’s latest travel ban will NOT make America safer,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. posted to X. “We cannot continue to allow the Trump administration to write bigotry and hatred into U.S. immigration policy.”
“From his first Muslim Ban, Trump’s travel bans have always betrayed the ideals and values that inspired America’s Founders,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., posted to X. “Trump’s use of prejudice and bigotry to bar people from entering the U.S. does not make us safer, it just divides us and weakens our global leadership.”
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