Media, Law & Policy

In President Trump’s New Travel Ban, We See the Original Muslim Ban

Monday, September 25, 2017, By Sawyer Kamman
Elizabeth Cohen, associate professor of political science at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and a researcher of immigration and citizenship, remarks on the newest travel ban unveiled by the Trump Administration.
“In President Trump’s new travel ban we see the original Muslim ban, thinly veiled by superficial changes: the addition of North Korea, a country from which virtually no immigrants to the US arrive, and a small number of Venezuelan government officials. More concerning is the fact that this ban is now in place indefinitely. We have also been told to expect in the next few days new guidelines specifically for refugees,” says Cohen. “To many, this looks like a permanent barrier to immigration from countries with some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Furthermore, extensive lobbying and deal-cutting by the UAE resulted in Sudan being dropped from the original list. At the same time, Chad, a country that has been a partner in the war on terror, has been added. That hardly inspires confidence about the security orientation of this administration.”
“There are elements of this travel ban that look like tailoring to get around the arguments that have caused Federal courts to strike down the earlier bans. Whether this version survives its inevitable challenges will depend on how seriously justices take these changes in light of the history of the ban and Trump’s campaign statements about excluding Muslims from the country. It is also important to remember that, in 1965, Congress explicitly banned discrimination based on nationality in the issuance of visas. That sets up a related but separate conflict between any of Trump’s orders and a larger anti-discrimination law that has been in place for decades,” says Cohen.
 Cohen is available to talk with the media. Please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, director of news and PR at Syracuse University, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu or 315.443.1897 or Keith Kobland, media manager at Syracuse University, at kkobland@syr.edu or 315.443.9038.