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Trump's Extended Travel Ban |
| By
Stephen Lendman |
| Trump’s original January and revised March travel ban is improper, offensive,
racist, politically motivated, and unconstitutional. It’s unrelated to border control and keeping the nation safe from foreign terrorists - ISIS, al-Qaeda, its al-Nusra offshoot and others Washington created and supports. It calls for stringent screening and vetting procedures associated with the visa-issuance process and US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Initially suspending entry into America from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, travel restrictions from Iraq were largely lifted. On Sunday, Trump extended the travel ban to eight countries, making it indefinite, adding Chad, North Korea and Venezuela, removing Sudan. Existing visa holders are exempt. So are travelers from these countries with US ties. New countries affected and revised waiver policy becomes effective on October 18. On October 10, Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments for and against for and against the, likely to approve keeping it in place. If not, congressional legislation signed by Trump could overrule them. An earlier Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court injunction blocking the ban, ruling it “speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination.” Chief circuit judge Roger Gregory added: “Congress granted the President broad power to deny entry to aliens, but that power is not absolute.” “It cannot go unchecked when, as here, the President wields it through an executive edict that stands to cause irreparable harm to individuals across this nation.” The ACLU called Trump’s travel ban unconstitutional. So did Law Professor Marjorie Cohn, arguing it “violates the Establishment Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and the Take Care Clause of the Constitution.” “It also violates the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)…” “(B)oth are treaties the United States has ratified, making them part of US law under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. The EO violates the Immigration and Nationality Act as well.” Last Friday, ahead of Trump’s Sunday announcement, ACLU executive director said “(t)he devil is in the details…” “This looks to be the Trump administration’s third try to make good on an unconstitutional campaign promise to ban Muslims from the United States.” Adding North Korea and Venezuela to the ban targets one nation Trump threatened to totally destroy, the other he’s waging political and economic war on to replace its social democracy with fascist tyranny. Claiming he’s “act(ing) to protect the security and interests of the United States and its people” is utter rubbish. His ban affects sovereign independent nations targeted for regime chance in the case of Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela, chaotic Libya transformed into a US-created terrorist haven, US/Saudi war ravaged Yemen, violent and unstable Somalia because of US imperial polices, and Chad for not fully bending to Washington’s will. Its agenda fosters violence and chaos worldwide, the deplorable way imperialism works. VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |