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Is Donald Trump'southward executive order a 'Muslim ban'?

  • Wisconsin

Protesters and immigrants rights advocates gathered at Castle Clinton National Monument, the physical departure and arrival point for tours of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. (AP)

Protesters and immigrants rights advocates gathered at Castle Clinton National Monument, the physical departure and arrival point for tours of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. (AP)

Protesters and immigrants rights advocates gathered at Castle Clinton National Monument, the physical departure and arrival betoken for tours of the Statue of Liberty in New York Metropolis. (AP)

While candidature for president days afterward a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., Donald Trump chosen for "a total and consummate shutdown of Muslims inbound the United States until our state's representatives tin can effigy out what the hell is going on."

That argument and others helped pb to sharp partisan attacks when Trump, a week after his inauguration, issued an executive order that triggered protests at airports nationwide. The January. 27, 2017 guild temporarily prohibits from entering the The states virtually all people traveling on passports from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

(On February. 3, 2017, a calendar week after the club was issued, a federal judge in Seattle blocked the 7-nations ban with a restraining order.)

Each of the seven countries covered by the order are majority-Muslim.

But they are also the merely seven countries that were targeted by an anti-terrorism law, cited in the executive order, that was signed past President Barack Obama.

Which leaves the question, raised in statements past U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, and others: Is Trump'due south order a "Muslim ban"?

It is (for Muslims in those seven countries) and it isn't (for the vast majority of Muslims who alive elsewhere).

So, we decided not to charge per unit this on the Truth-O-Meter. But hither's a expect at how the order affects Muslims and how it relates to fighting terrorism.

The order

The guild suspended for 120 days entry of all refugees -- those who desire to resettle in the United states -- and barred refugees from Syria indefinitely. That's in add-on to the 90-day prohibition imposed on citizens of the seven countries with whatsoever type of visa, including tourists or those coming on business.

The guild invokes the 9/xi terrorist attacks and says that to protect Americans, the U.s.a. should not admit "those who do not support the Constitution, or those who would place fierce ideologies over American law."

Trump has responded to criticism by saying his policy "is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not well-nigh religion -- this is about terror and keeping our country safe."

Let's look start at how the executive gild relates to Muslims, then to terrorism.

Muslims

Nosotros'll begin by noting that the lodge does non bear upon well-nigh Muslims. According to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, there are 49 majority-Muslim nations and the seven covered by the club have only about 12 percent of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims.

However, at that place is some basis for viewing the order every bit targeting Muslims.

Trump called for Muslim ban: Trump continued to make statements near a Muslim ban well subsequently the San Bernardino attack.

  • In a March 2016 CNN interview, there was this exchange between Trump and host Anderson Cooper -- Cooper: "I judge the question is, is in that location a war between the west and radical Islam or between the west and Islam itself?" Trump: "Well, information technology's radical, merely it's very difficult to define. It's very hard to divide because you don't know who is who."

  • In June 2016, later on a terrorist assault in Orlando, Fla., Trump reiterated his call for a temporary Muslim ban, maxim in a speech: "I called for a ban after San Bernardino, and was met with great scorn and anger, but now many are saying I was right to do so." Just he too said he would suspend clearing from areas "where at that place is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies."

(U.S. Business firm Speaker Paul Ryan said at the time: "I exercise non think a Muslim ban is in our country'southward interest," adding: "I recollect the smarter style to get in all respects is to have a security exam, non a religious exam.")

Ban shifted to 'territories': The adjacent month, in July 2016, Trump shifted his rhetoric in ii interviews. His statements -- and ane later by a Trump ally -- left the impression Trump was seeking a Muslim ban by a different means.

  • Reminded that his running mate, Mike Pence, once called a Muslim ban unconstitutional, Trump responded: "And so you phone call information technology territories. OK? We're gonna do territories."

  • Asked whether that approach was a "rollback" of his position, Trump said no, calculation: "Yous could say information technology's an expansion. I'm looking now at territories. People were and so upset when I used the give-and-take Muslim. Oh, you lot can't utilize the give-and-take 'Muslim.'"

  • Afterward the order took event, Trump supporter and onetime New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was asked how Trump decided on the 7 countries. Giuliani said: "So when he start appear it, he said, 'Muslim ban.' He called me up. He said, 'Put a committee together. Evidence me the correct style to do it legally.' ... We focused on, instead of religion, danger — the areas of the earth that create danger for us. Which is a factual basis, not a religious basis."

Trump'south statements evidently were pivotal for Emerge Yates, whom Trump fired as acting attorney full general after she instructed the Justice Department not to defend the executive order. A letter she wrote showed she was bothered by the focus on majority-Muslim countries. And the New York Times, citing senior officials, reported that Yates "became convinced, based on the president'south own statements, that he had intended to unlawfully single out Muslims."

So, Trump's order does not explicitly ban travel to the Usa by Muslims. But it came after he himself had pushed a Muslim ban and it applies only to seven nations that are majority-Muslim.

Terrorism

Now allow's expect at how Trump'due south order relates to terrorism.

Obama'due south list of seven: The gild singles out the same seven countries that were singled out in an anti-terrorism law signed past Obama, although the travel restrictions in the 2 measures are different.

The law signed in Dec 2015 by Obama applies to countries designated by the Us equally having "repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism." Republic of iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Republic of yemen (the same seven countries in Trump's club) have that designation.

The law says anyone who has traveled to those countries since March 2011 can't use what is known as the Visa Waiver Program, which allows travel to the The states for upward to 90 days without a visa. Just, unlike Trump'south order, under that police force people not eligible for the waiver plan could all the same enter the United states of america with a visa.

Threats from other nations: The order does not employ, however, to nations that take produced people who take committed more acts of terrorism in America.

  • 9/11 attacks: The order cites as office of its rationale the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. But most of the 19 hijackers on the planes were from Saudi Arabia; the rest were from the United Arab Emirates, Arab republic of egypt and Lebanese republic.

  • PolitiFact National plant that according to New America, a think tank compiling information on terrorist activities in the U.s. since 9/11, 94 people have been killed by jihadists, simply the big majority of the attackers accept been American citizens or legal residents. And experts on terrorism say that since nine/11, no ane in the United States has been killed in a terrorist attack by someone from the vii countries, though at that place take been at least three non-deadly cases in which the perpetrator was connected to Iran or Somalia.

  • Going dorsum farther, the libertarian Cato Found constitute that from 1975 through 2015, 17 people born in the 7 nations were convicted of conveying out or attempting to acquit out a terrorist attack on U.Southward. soil and they killed no people. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt -- which are not on the list of seven -- are the countries where the deadliest terrorists came to the United states from, accounting for 94.ane percent of all American deaths in terrorist attacks on U.S. soil committed past the foreign-born.

In summary

The social club does not specifically bar Muslims. It applies merely to citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Those seven countries have but 12 per centum of the world'southward Muslims and Muslims from other countries tin can still enter the United States.

Simply each of the vii is bulk-Muslim. And the gild follows not only repeated statements Trump fabricated during his presidential campaign specifically calling for a Muslim ban, simply subsequent statements he made about finding a legal means for the executive order.

And although Trump says the society is aimed at protecting America from terrorism, and the 7 targeted countries have been singled out for supporting terrorism , no one in the U.s.a. has been killed in a terrorist assault past someone from the seven countries.

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Email, Ron Kind communications director Amanda Sherman, Jan. 31, 2017

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