By: Sarah Bevelhymer

On January 31, 2020, President Trump amended his 2017 executive order adding six new countries to his travel ban. The 2017 travel ban restricted entrance into the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries. These countries included Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela, and North Korea.

This was the first step in completing his campaign pledge to shut down the entrance of possible-terrorists into the United States. His reasoning given for the ban is that it is necessary for the safety and security of the United States. The ban has been revised to include Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, and Tanzania. This blocks immigration from Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, and also from Myanmar where the current Muslim population is fleeing genocide.

The total list of countries banned from entering the United States is up to 13 countries and includes more than half a billion people. Many believe the travel ban’s purpose is solely to restrict Muslim immigration due to the president’s public hatred for the Muslim population. Currently, there is a lawsuit underway, claiming the ban is racist and being implanted on the basis and white supremacy. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, “The president has a well-documented history of spewing hatred against Muslims, without which the ban would not have existed in the first place.”