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Over 100,000 US Visas Revoked

   

The impact of Trump’s “Muslim ban” continues to expand in scope.

What’s going on?

When it was first signed last week, Trump’s executive order to forbid entry into the US of nationals from 7 majority-Muslim countries caused a lot of chaos and confusion. It was unclear just how far-reaching its impact would be. Now, we have a better idea: over 100,000 visas have been revoked, according to the Justice Department.

Why is it important?

To put this number in perspective, that’s almost as many visas as were revoked in the entire period of 2001-2015, according to the US State Department. Of those, about 9500 were revoked due to terrorism concerns. By comparison, Trump’s immigration ban represents a massive escalation, especially considering that these revocations were not done as a result of vetting or any other characteristics of the visa holders besides their national origin.

What’s more, this type of ban is illegal on its face, because it discriminates on the basis of national origin–which is illegal under US law.

The human toll of this executive order is difficult to imagine. Families have been torn apart, people have been stranded, and many lives are left in limbo. It is even putting people’s lives at risk, such as Iraqis who helped us during the 2003 invasion, who are now forbidden from entering the US.

This harm is not hypothetical, but all too real. There are people whose entire future is now in doubt because of this order.

What can I do?

Consider donating to the American Civil Liberties Union, which is fighting this order with everything they have.

Try to find out if anyone in your community has been affected by the ban, and do what you can to help them.

Protest and resist in any way you feel equipped to do so.

This abuse of power cannot stand.

Photo by Fibonacci Blue