News Analysis: Trump's visa ban stirs controversy, but some say he's just doing his job
                 Source: Xinhua | 2017-02-02 05:39:34 | Editor: huaxia

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with leaders of conservative groups to discuss the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO)

By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary visa ban on seven majority Muslim countries has sparked controversy, as critics condemn it as poorly planned and executed while supporters say he is only fulfilling a campaign promise.

The weekend saw much controversy over a temporary ban on immigration from seven nations that have a serious problem with terrorism. The ban comes as terror groups such as the Islamic State have conducted deadly attacks worldwide, and as Trump continues to promise he will take action.

Critics said the ban was poorly implemented, as it has left in limbo some of those who have worked for the U.S. military, and media reported that one parent of an active U.S. marine was detained upon arrival in the United States.

The ban also targets some green card holders from those countries, who were already vetted and approved for permanent legal residence. The White House later clarified that the ban does not affect those green card holders.

Even some officials in the Justice Department and State Department, as well as Democratic lawmakers, expressed opposition to the ban, citing the U.S. as an immigration country should welcome anyone who escape suffering and persecution.

Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates on Monday after she advised Justice Department lawyers not to defend the travel ban because it is inconsistent with the agency's obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right.

"Trump's visa ban was poorly-planned and terribly executed," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

The security personnel responsible for implementing the policy were completely confused on what the policy required and who was affected by it, West said.

"The result was an overly draconian execution that (impacted) innocent people who posed no security risks to the United States," he said.

People hold posters during a protest against President Donald Trump's executive order banning entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, outside the Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the United States, Jan. 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Republican Strategist Ford O' Connell told Xinhua that Trump is merely doing what his supporters elected him to do, and following through with policies he outlined for over a year on the campaign trail.

"Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise. He said he was going to get tough on terror and put America's national security first, and he's following through," O' Connell said.

Democrats are going to kick and scream no matter what Trump does "as a way to gin up support among voters," he said.

"You saw them try to call it a Muslim ban at first, and then you realize that 90 percent of Muslims around the world are exempt from the ban," he said.

That includes Indonesia, which has the world's largest population of Muslims, O' Connell noted.

A woman holds a poster during a protest against President Donald Trump's executive order banning entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, outside the Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the United States, Jan. 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua the implementation of the ban reflects a challenge in the Trump administration in coordinating and communicating among the agencies in the executive branch, notably Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, on the implementation of this policy and dealing with the public, political, and legal pushback.

While the Trump administration was trying to justify quickly rolling out the policy in order to prevent a rush to travel in advance of the policy, the implementation plan was lacking, he argued.

Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College in the state of New Hampshire, told Xinhua that if the policy had gone through legal vetting through the Office of Legal Counsel, and had the State department, Defense department, and other relevant agencies and departments been consulted, implementation would have gone much more smoothly and probably provoked less public outcry.

"But that's not what happened...the executive order was put together haphazardly and incompetently, and came as a surprise to most of the agencies implementing it," he said.

Back to Top Close
Xinhuanet

News Analysis: Trump's visa ban stirs controversy, but some say he's just doing his job

Source: Xinhua 2017-02-02 05:39:34

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with leaders of conservative groups to discuss the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO)

By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary visa ban on seven majority Muslim countries has sparked controversy, as critics condemn it as poorly planned and executed while supporters say he is only fulfilling a campaign promise.

The weekend saw much controversy over a temporary ban on immigration from seven nations that have a serious problem with terrorism. The ban comes as terror groups such as the Islamic State have conducted deadly attacks worldwide, and as Trump continues to promise he will take action.

Critics said the ban was poorly implemented, as it has left in limbo some of those who have worked for the U.S. military, and media reported that one parent of an active U.S. marine was detained upon arrival in the United States.

The ban also targets some green card holders from those countries, who were already vetted and approved for permanent legal residence. The White House later clarified that the ban does not affect those green card holders.

Even some officials in the Justice Department and State Department, as well as Democratic lawmakers, expressed opposition to the ban, citing the U.S. as an immigration country should welcome anyone who escape suffering and persecution.

Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates on Monday after she advised Justice Department lawyers not to defend the travel ban because it is inconsistent with the agency's obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right.

"Trump's visa ban was poorly-planned and terribly executed," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

The security personnel responsible for implementing the policy were completely confused on what the policy required and who was affected by it, West said.

"The result was an overly draconian execution that (impacted) innocent people who posed no security risks to the United States," he said.

People hold posters during a protest against President Donald Trump's executive order banning entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, outside the Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the United States, Jan. 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Republican Strategist Ford O' Connell told Xinhua that Trump is merely doing what his supporters elected him to do, and following through with policies he outlined for over a year on the campaign trail.

"Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise. He said he was going to get tough on terror and put America's national security first, and he's following through," O' Connell said.

Democrats are going to kick and scream no matter what Trump does "as a way to gin up support among voters," he said.

"You saw them try to call it a Muslim ban at first, and then you realize that 90 percent of Muslims around the world are exempt from the ban," he said.

That includes Indonesia, which has the world's largest population of Muslims, O' Connell noted.

A woman holds a poster during a protest against President Donald Trump's executive order banning entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, outside the Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the United States, Jan. 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua the implementation of the ban reflects a challenge in the Trump administration in coordinating and communicating among the agencies in the executive branch, notably Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, on the implementation of this policy and dealing with the public, political, and legal pushback.

While the Trump administration was trying to justify quickly rolling out the policy in order to prevent a rush to travel in advance of the policy, the implementation plan was lacking, he argued.

Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College in the state of New Hampshire, told Xinhua that if the policy had gone through legal vetting through the Office of Legal Counsel, and had the State department, Defense department, and other relevant agencies and departments been consulted, implementation would have gone much more smoothly and probably provoked less public outcry.

"But that's not what happened...the executive order was put together haphazardly and incompetently, and came as a surprise to most of the agencies implementing it," he said.

010020070750000000000000011105521360253181