Multiple Christian humanitarian groups have denounced President Donald Trump’s recent ban on the travel of people from 19 countries due to their ties to terrorism.
Signed last week, the ban restricts travel to the United States of people from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Trump’s new travel ban also partially restricts the issuing of visas for people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
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Myal Greene, president and CEO of the Evangelical refugee resettlement organization World Relief, an arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, denounced the measure as “the latest assault on legal immigration processes.”
“It’s always been difficult for most individuals in many of these countries to obtain visas, but this blunt order restricts the entry even of those who meet strict qualifications and undergo thorough vetting,” stated Greene.
“We urge the administration to reconsider these restrictions and to pursue policies that scrutinize individuals in the interest of ensuring security without banning entire nationalities from lawfully visiting or emigrating to the United States.”
World Relief is grateful that the order includes exemptions for Afghan allies of the U.S. military who were granted Special Immigrant Visas, those already granted asylum or refugee status, Lawful Permanent Residents and spouses, unmarried minors and parents of American citizens.
Church World Service, another organization authorized by the U.S. State Department to resettle refugees in the U.S., condemned the new travel ban. COO Katherine Rehberg said in a statement that it was “no better” than the travel ban Trump imposed during his first term.
“By closing the door to people seeking to enter this country through legal pathways, the administration is yet again turning its back on our nation’s tradition of welcome, abandoning our commitment to families fleeing conflict and persecution, and denying us the overwhelming benefits that these populations bring to our country,” stated Rehberg.
“We lose culture, innovation, and economic vitality. We lose the courage, creativity and sense of community that newcomers bring with them. And we lose our own understanding of America’s place in the world as the brightest beacon for those seeking safety and opportunity.”
Rehberg warned that “loved ones who pinned their hopes on America’s promise will be shut out — not because of who they are, but where they’re from.”
The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of advocacy for the mainline Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), told Presbyterian News Service that the Trump administration was “undermining our moral and legal obligations to the most vulnerable, and discriminating against people based on their faith or nationality.”
“Presbyterians have a long history of globally working alongside, supporting, and standing in solidarity with our siblings of diverse cultures, ethnic backgrounds and faith context,” said Hawkins.
“We stand firm in the continuation of this commitment and denounce any efforts from the current administration to restrict travel and access to the United States based on faith tradition or nationality.”
In his proclamation, Trump defended the travel ban as a means to “protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”
“The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security,” stated Trump.
Trump went on to note that he is “committed to engaging with those countries willing to cooperate to improve information-sharing and identity-management procedures, and to address both terrorism-related and public-safety risks.”
“Some of the countries with inadequacies face significant challenges to reform efforts. Others have made important improvements to their protocols and procedures, and I commend them for these efforts,” he added.
“But until countries with identified inadequacies address them, members of my Cabinet have recommended certain conditional restrictions and limitations.”
