Former President Donald Trump has said he will bring back the travel ban on heavily Muslim countries with links to Islamist radicalism and terrorism if he is re-elected as President in 2024. Trump also invoked the Islamic riots across France, which were fueled after the death of a teenager at a police traffic stop.
Soon after assuming office as President, Trump signed an executive order banning the entry into American by people from Muslim nations such as Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The initial order also banned the entry of green card holders from these countries but the department of homeland security eased this restriction later on.
Clarification
Trump clarified that this measure was intended to keep the US safe from terrorism and it was not aimed at a particular religion. "To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting ... This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order," Trump said.
In June 2018, the US Supreme Court upheld the travel ban in a 5-4 ruling. The court said the president's executive order was "squarely within the scope of Presidential authority under the INA."
Era of Terrorism
Trump hailed the order, saying the verdict underscores his administration's commitment to defend the national security of the United States. "In this era of worldwide terrorism and extremist movements bent on harming innocent civilians, we must properly vet those coming into our country," he said.
"This ruling is also a moment of profound vindication following months of hysterical commentary from the media and Democratic politicians who refuse to do what it takes to secure our border and our country. As long as I am President, I will defend the sovereignty, safety, and security of the American People, and fight for an immigration system that serves the national interests of the United States and its citizens. Our country will always be safe, secure and protected on my watch," Trump added.
Biden Overturns Ban
However, President Joe Biden overturned the Trump travel ban when he became president.
In a campaign speech in Iowa on Friday, Trump reiterated his commitment to re-introduce the travel ban on Muslim countries in the light of the disastrous riots across France by the Musliim immigrants.
"When I return to office, the travel ban is coming back, even bigger than before and much stronger than before ... We don't want people blowing up our shopping centers, we don't want people blowing up our cities, and we don't want people stealing our farms – that's not going to happen," Trump said.
Keeping America Safe
He said the United States will not be condemned to the same fate as is happening in France. He also said that he had told French President Emmanuel Macron years ago that this was bound to happen in France. "And I told Macron this was going to happen when I first met him."
"We must also redouble our efforts to ensure that anyone who comes to America shares our values and assimilates into our culture ... We don't want people coming into our country that hate us, we want people that love us ... Who the hell wants an open border for the world to spill in and for them to dump every person who's mentally ill, or a convicted killer or convict into our country?... I mean, who wants that? How is it good for us?" Trump asked.
