President Trump chose Holocaust Remembrance Day to issue a ban on entry into the United States of all travelers from seven majority Muslim nations. The order was written by Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, known for their white nationalist views, and was not reviewed by the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Justice. Trump, at the urging of Bannon, is acting on his own without regard to the traditions of American diplomacy, the safeguards of law, the needs of our allies or a basic sense of human decency. The ban, itself, does NOTHING to decrease terrorist threats in the U.S.
The Muslim Ban has resulted in upended lives, chaos in international travel, alienation of our allies fighting ISIS and dismay throughout the world community. The stories of those affected tell far more about what is happening than the press releases from the White House. You can read some here.
Trump’s spokespeople deny that the Executive Order is a Muslim Ban, but his campaign website, which remains active, explicitly calls for a Muslim Ban. On the same day Trump issued a proclamation observing Holocaust Remembrance Day that, for the first time, failed to acknowledge Jewish victims. Taken together, the Muslim Ban and the insensitivity of not mentioning Jewish victims of the Holocaust specifically, are likely to reinforce religious and ethnic hatred and violence.
ACT NOW
Call your Senators and Congress member - whether they are Republicans or Democrats –tell them to reject and reverse Trump’s executive order Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States. Do not assume that because your senator or representative is a liberal Democrat that they have done the right thing and spoken up. Many Democratic officeholders are sitting back and remaining silent. Find their phone numbers here.
Tell them that you oppose the Executive Order because it harms innocent people and does little, if anything, to secure the safety of American citizens. Ask them to aggressively stand up and take action to reverse the Executive Order.
If the line is busy or the mailbox is full, write a postcard. Try a different office. Be persistent! Find mailing addresses for members of Congress here
Meet, learn about and become an “upstander” for Muslims in your community. There are 3 million Muslims in the United States. They are under stress because of the Administration’s actions and false statements. Find your Muslim neighbors, introduce yourself and offer your support.
Join a demonstration, protest or community meeting in support of immigrants and refugees. If you hear about one, join in. Invite friends and allies to join you! Numbers count!