Let’s Talk About Trump’s Travel Ban.

We’ve heard about Trump’s executive order that was signed last Friday. But what does it say exactly? Let’s hear it straight from the horse’s mouth: Executive order: Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States

So far we know it’s a fact that the Visa Interview Waiver Program has been suspended, but the executive order itself does not specify which countries have a temporary visa ban. Instead, Trump cites section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act which was expanded under Obama to restrict visa applicants from Iraq, Syria, or any country of concern. Here is where Trump states it in his order:

"I hereby proclaim that the immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of aliens from countries referred to in section 217(a)(12) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1187(a)(12), would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and I hereby suspend entry into the United States, as immigrants and nonimmigrants, of such persons for 90 days from the date of this order (excluding those foreign nationals traveling on diplomatic visas, North Atlantic Treaty Organization visas, C-2 visas for travel to the United Nations, and G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-4 visas)."

The exceptions to the temporary ban is listed in section 3(g) and section 5(e) on a case-by-case basis, but only if the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security deem it necessary, such as if the individual is a religious minority in his/her country. Individuals seeking entry into the U.S. for immigration can expect more screening; section 4(a) discusses implementing uniform screening procedures such as in-person interviews, creating a database to determine entry or reentry into the U.S., and changing questions on applications to ensure there aren’t duplicate documents or applicants under false identities. The screening procedure will “...identify individuals seeking to enter the United States on a fraudulent basis with the intent to cause harm." Overall, the screening procedures were intentionally left vague so that Trump’s administration would not be limited to the procedures listed above, and this is a cause for concern especially for immigrants who are accused of terrorism. It doesn’t help that Trump can easily cite the Patriot Act to define “intent to cause harm.”

Now here’s where it starts to get substantially concerning for American citizens. Yes you read that right and if you thought Trump’s order doesn’t apply to you, unfortunately it now does. Section 7 gives permission for a biometric entry AND exit tracking system for anyone traveling to the U.S. It’s even more unfortunate that the media has barely discussed this part:

"Sec. 7. Expedited Completion of the Biometric Entry-Exit Tracking System. (a) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall expedite the completion and implementation of a biometric entry-exit tracking system for all travelers to the United States, as recommended by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States."

So what is a biometric entry-exit tracking system? It uses biometric indicators such as a photos and fingerprints to identify a person entering and leaving the U.S. You might be asking, why does it matter that people should be tracked when leaving the States? The argument is that we need to double check that the person who is leaving is indeed that same one who entered. The biometric system has already been in place along the U.S. and Mexico border, and will cost about $400 million to $600 million per year to enforce, and $4-$6 billion in ten years. You can read more about the biometric system here.

It’s already frustrating trying to get through airport security, this added layer will increase long lines and connection times. Airports are already strained by the burden of the TSA and will cause more confusion if this tracking system does go through. This part of the executive order troubles me deeply because both my family and I travel outside of the U.S. to China, and what happens when there is a glitch in the system saying that I’m not me? Would I get interrogated and banned entry? And for how long? Or worse, it could get hacked and millions of fingerprint data could be stolen and used to unlock phones.

Another point to consider is, why aren’t the countries with the highest number of terrorists not listed?

As of now, citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen are banned entry. Yet nobody from those countries has tried to commit or has committed terrorist attacks in the U.S. Which brings me to question, is this order really about a Muslim ban? Or is it a potential terrorist ban? And please don’t make the mistake of assuming that I support this, because I don’t. So hear me out.

According to this chart, the majority of the terror attacks on U.S. soil from 1975 to 2015 were committed by individuals from Egypt, Lebanon, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Oh and not to mention, the 9/11 hijackers entered the U.S. on tourist visas (which could be obtained in a matter of a few months) then were issued student visas. If Trump was actually concerned about terrorism he would look into the policies for obtaining tourist and student visas. His executive order will fuel more hate in the affected countries and possibly more terror attacks in the future, and gives ISIS recruiters hard evidence that Americans hate Islam. We are only turning our backs on refugees and giving them a cause to be vengeful and join ISIS.

So let me know your thoughts on this topic.