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DACA: Trump Pronounces the Death of Dreams

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by TMO Staff

About 800,000 young undocumented immigrants are at risk of deportation, if the president and members of the House and Senate can not make a deal in the next 6 months. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who not only supports increased deportations but has opposed the DACA  (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program since its inception under President Barack Obama in 2012, has called DACA unconstitutional adding ‘We are people of compassion and we are people of law.’

He has also helped block legislative efforts to help those called ‘Dreamers.’ ‘Dreamers’ refers to those who came to the U.S. as children.  

DACA protections last for two years and allow Dreamers to work legally. With the loss of DACA protections, Dreamers might be sent away from the country they’ve lived in since they were children. Initially, government officials had said their focus was on deporting criminals, however this seems to not be the case.

Currently, the U.S. has 43 million immigrants. About 11 million are undocumented- 22 percent of whom are under the age of 25. Dreamers are immigrants who came to the U.S. before turning 16-years-old and have been living in the U.S. since June 15, 2007. 72 percent of Dreamers are in higher education and 60 percent are known organ donors. They contribute $460 billion to the U.S. economy, if the Trump administration succeeds in eliminating DACA some 700,00 would lose jobs.   

The decision is likely to be challenged by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.). Even in Congress some Republicans are supportive of Dreamers, some had even introduced a bill- but the White House immediately shot it down in July.

About 1,800 governors, mayors, legislatures and public officials have opposed President Trump’s initiative.

Muslim organizations and interfaith groups have been supportive of Dreamers and most likely plan to join public officials to oppose Trump’s decision. Several churches have already declared their intentions to make houses of God sanctuaries for Dreamers, were they to be deported. Mosques and synagogues have also followed the lead in joining them.

The leading Muslim-American civil rights organization, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), has already condemned President Trump’s termination of  DACA as “pandering to the demands of anti-immigrant extremists.” In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:

“The American Muslim community and CAIR stand with the 800,000 undocumented young people who were brought to our nation as children, who call the United States home and whose only dream is to come out of the shadows and to stay where they belong.

By terminating DACA, even with a six-month delay or ‘wind down,’ President Trump is pandering to the demands of anti-immigrant extremists and harming our nation by targeting some of the most dynamic and success-oriented members of society. In practical terms, the ‘delay’ in implementing the termination is meaningless for the vast majority of Dreamers and will inevitably result in chaos in their lives.

These young Dreamers deserve the chance to work and study — and to be protected from deportation — while Congress debates broader legislation to fix our broken immigration system.

President Trump’s heartless action will only serve to create fear and anxiety for the Dreamers and their loved ones, and will force them back to living in the shadows, rendering them unable contribute to our nation’s economy.

CAIR encourages state and local officials across the nation to enact policies prohibiting discrimination based on citizenship status and to offer sanctuary and support for Dreamers.

American Muslims will continue to push for measures that protect undocumented youth and support comprehensive immigration reform – reform that includes a roadmap to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million undocumented residents.”

Recently, CAIR National Board Chair Roula Allouch joined more than 1,860 fellow leaders in signing a new “We are with Dreamers” statement calling on President Trump to preserve the DACA program and for Congress to pass a standalone version of the bipartisan Dream Act of 2017.

CAIR has asked community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR’s Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report here.

Addition to the story since original publication:

The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), a coalition of leading national and local Muslim-American organizations, has also joined the growing number of civic organizations against the Trump Administration’s decision to end DACA.

“Repealing DACA is not only detrimental to immigrants that have participated in this program, but harms us all by contradicting core American values. Our nation prides itself on the opportunities that we provide and the freedoms that we enjoy. To take these opportunities away from hard working, and contributing members of society is dehumanizing, discriminatory and un-American,” USCO said, in a letter addressed to the White House.

Trump Proposes Immigration Cuts in New Bill

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by Aysha Qamar

“It’s great to be here today to unveil legislation that would represent the most significant reform to our immigration system in a half a century,” President Donald Trump said at a White House event.

Trump has proposed a bill -called the RAISE Act, Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment– that would cut legal immigration in half with a merit-based entry system that rewards applicants who have job skills, education and the ability to speak English.

According to the White House, 1 million immigrants come into the country and get Green Cards granting them permanent legal status every year.

“The RAISE Act,” he said, “will reduce poverty, increase wages, and save taxpayers billions and billions of dollars.”

“This legislation will not only restore our competitive edge in the 21st century, but it will restore the sacred bonds of trust between America and its citizens,” Trump said. “This legislation demonstrates our compassion for struggling American families who deserve an immigration system that puts their needs first and that puts America first.”

This proposed act would enable the most dramatic changes to the current system of legal immigration and represents the president’s latest effort to better control the flow of immigrants to the United States. Since taking office, Trump has limited visitors from select Muslim-majority countries, increased immigration arrests and encouraged the building of a wall on the southern border.

Introduced by two Republican senators, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia, the bill was formulated to protect American workers from competition from low-skilled foreign workers. The proposal would limit the total number of green cards issues mainly affecting family-based immigration. It also proposes a cap on the number of refugees admitted every year and eliminates a program that provides green cards via lottery to people from countries that send few immigrants to the United States.

Only one out of every 15 immigrants to the US comes here because of their skills, according to the administration. This legislation would restrict the number of immigrants flooding into the United States with few skills and a need for government aid or health care, Trump said.

While the bill will not reduce employment-based green cards, it would change how the recipients are selected by putting in place a points-based system that rewards people who speak English and have higher degrees or work experience.

“This competitive application process will favor applicants who can speak English, financially support themselves and their families and demonstrate skills that will contribute to our economy,” Trump said.

Legislators from both parties have criticized the proposal, which depicts itself as a way to protect American workers. Many have spoken out against the proposal, with some even saying it will never pass.

“Instead of catching criminals, Trump wants to tear apart communities and punish immigrant families that are making valuable contributions to our economy,” said Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. “That’s not what America stands for.”

Under the current system, American citizens can sponsor spouses, parents and minor children for an unrestricted number of visas, while siblings and adult children are given preferences for a limited number of visas available to them. Legal permanent residents holding green cards can also sponsor spouses and children.

The legislation’s merit system would still allow for spouses and minor children of Americans and legal residents to come into the country, but would eliminate preferences for other relatives, like siblings and adult children.

“It’s pro-American immigration reform that the American people want, that the American people deserve, and that puts the needs of the working class ahead of the investor class,” Stephen Miller, Trump’s top policy aid said.

Supreme Court Partially Upholds Travel Ban, Trump Welcomes Indians

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by Tina Lapsia

Just after Muslims around the world finished observing the holy month of Ramadan as they celebrated Eid, the Supreme Court on Monday, June 26 lifted most of the temporary injunctions placed on President Trump’s travel ban that was struck down by multiple circuit courts.

The Court will hear the merits of the actual case against the ban, which temporarily restricts travel to the US by citizens from six majority-Muslim countries (Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) and from all refugees, in October.

In partially upholding the ban by a unanimous vote, the Court wrote that it may “may not be enforced against foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.” It continued, “But when it comes to refugees who lack any such connection to the United States, for the reasons we have set out, the balance tips in favor of the government’s compelling need to provide for the nation’s security.” However, the Court also warned the Trump administration to continue reviewing its vetting procedures that it had put on hold while waiting for a decision on the travel ban, which bans travel from the six countries for 90 days and for all refugees for 120 days.

President Trump expressed his support for the highest court’s opinion, tweeting:

Interestingly enough, the Supreme Court did not cite President Trump’s prior tweets about the travel ban, which were rumored and predicted to hurt him in the case as they did in the lower courts. Some of his incendiary remarks included:

Now that the travel ban is in the clear until at least October, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to begin its implementation on Thursday, June 28. In a statement released on Monday, the Department said it would work closely with the State and Justice Departments to make sure the travel ban does not cause the same level of widespread chaos as when the first travel ban went into effect in January. “The implementation of the executive order will be done professionally, with clear and sufficient public notice, particularly to potentially affected travelers, and in coordination with partners in the travel industry,” DHS promised in the Monday statement.

Ironically, the news of the partial reinstatement of the “Muslim ban” also came on the heels of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit with President Trump at the White House on Monday.

Reaffirming the United States’ promise to strengthen its business and educational ties with India and sealing it with a hug (see below), President Trump after his talks with Prime Minister Modi also announced on Tuesday that he welcomes Indian visitors to America through an expedited process as part of India’s entry into the International Expedited Traveler Initiative (Global Entry Program). The program, which is run by the US Customs and Border Protection, allows for faster clearance for pre-approved travelers to the United States and also includes citizens from Switzerland and the United Kingdom. As India’s relationship with the United States has deepened since Prime Minister Modi’s multiple meetings with President Obama, this comes as more good news for desis living abroad.

Source: CNN

From banning certain people of color into the country one moment to facilitating the ease for certain tourists of color to enter the country the next, the unpredictability of President Trump’s decisions regarding foreigners certainly may cause anxiety and confusion for many. We now just have to hold our breaths until October and hope that the Supreme Court recognizes the unconstitutionality of the President’s prejudiced attitudes towards Muslims and/or that the President does not try to enforce another radical executive order.

muslim ban 2.0

Here’s What You Need to Know About the Muslim Ban 2.0

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by Aysha Qamar

Muslim Ban 2.0 has dropped and here is what you need to know.

In January, after his first immigration order was challenged and effectively shut down—President Donald Trump threatened to come back with another.

He has now come back with another order. The new order unveiled by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security John Kelly has been coined by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as the Muslim Ban 2.0.

The changes made to this order were made to make it more defendable in court if faced with similar lawsuits as the first. This executive order limiting immigration now bans citizens from not seven but six Muslim-majority countries temporarily.

“The Trump administration has conceded that its original Muslim ban was indefensible. Unfortunately, it has replaced it with a scaled-back version that shares the same fatal flaws,” Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a written statement.

The ban was rewritten in order to combat legal challenges to the original ban, such as claims based on equal protection rights granted by the Constitution, the First Amendment’s prohibition of government establishment of religion, and a non-discrimination statute of an immigration law.

“What they did is taken the previous Muslim ban tweaked it to try to go around the court orders and are going to reintroduce it. But again it’s not based in reality, it’s based in bigotry, it’s based in politics…the intent behind it is the same, block Muslims from coming to this country, and that hasn’t changed no matter what the wording of the new ban is,” Ibrahim Hooper, a representative from the Council of American-Islamic Relations, said on MSNBC.

Two weeks after the federal appeals court hearing, a Department of Homeland Security report revealed that no evidence was found that the citizens of the targeted countries posed any unique threat.

“The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban is not to have a Muslim ban,” Jadwat said. “Instead, President Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination, and he can expect continued disapproval from both the courts and the people.”

So what exactly are the differences between the Muslim Ban and Muslim Ban 2.0?

1. The ban is not immediate, it will be going into effect on March 16.
A 10-day notice is being given instead of immediate action like the original plan, Trump tweeted that such a notice would allow for “the bad” to quickly rush into our country, however, this implementation was the result of the confusion caused at airports from the first abrupt order.

2. Iraq was removed from the original list.
Besides the removal of Iraq—the 6 other countries remain the same in their original order: ran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and Libya. However, this new order includes an explanation why each of these countries was chosen. Travelers from these predominantly-Muslim countries will still face a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S.

3. Current visa holders and green card legal residents are no longer affected.

4. Syrian refugees are now barred temporarily (120 days), not indefinitely and refugees of minority religions are no longer favored.

5. Asylum that was already granted to refugees will be honored.

6. References to support the Constitution and other beliefs have been removed.

7. Details have been added about why the six countries were selected.

“The vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country,” Trump said last Tuesday, during the address to a joint session of Congress.

“We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America,” he stated. “And we cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.”

However, “Since 2001, 18 of the 36 Muslim extremists who have engaged in attacks inside the United States were born in the United States, while 14 migrated here as children and would not have been stopped by the new vetting process, according to an analysis by Charles Kurzman, a professor at the University of North Carolina.”

According to The NY Times, “none came from the banned nations; Muslim extremists have accounted for 16 out of 240,000 murders in the United States since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”

[Source: BBC.com]

[Source: BBC.com]

Hope remains as leaders take a stand, like New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who issued a statement Monday stating his office is ready to take the Trump Administration to court.

“While the White House may have made changes to the ban, the intent to discriminate against Muslims remains clear,” he said. “My office is closely reviewing the new executive order, and I stand ready to litigate — again — in order to protect New York’s families, institutions, and economy.”

All we can do now is educate ourselves, resist, protest, and wait for the challenges to this new ban to succeed.

Update: Judge Derrick K. Watson of Federal District Court in Honolulu, Hawaii has issued a block on the Muslim Ban 2.0. There is still more work to be done in the face of rampant Islamophobia. Stay informed.

refugees

As Americans, We Are All Refugees

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by Azher Quader

From conversations on the streets to living rooms, there is a lot of emotional talk these days over the topic of refugees. Although some three million refugees have come into the country since 1980 escaping the tyranny of wars to find safe haven here, we are in fact all refugees in America who have found refuge in it for one reason or another.

Some of us are here and call it home because we could not live in another place where we would be hunted down, held hostage or even beheaded. Some of us are here because the atrocity of a faithless state would not allow us the freedom to practice our faith. Some of us are here because America provides a safe haven for an entrepreneurial spirit, to experiment and explore the capitalistic model like no other place in the globe. Some of us are here because we are tired and exhausted from the societal corruption that plagues the countries we have come from. Some of us are here because we have sought refuge in the institutions of learning and academia, that meet the demands of our ambitions, that were sadly unmet and unrealized from where we came from. Some of us are here because we could no longer tolerate remaining in the shackles of transgenerational poverty, which had imprisoned our families and forced them to live in servitude and indignity. Some of us are here because we seek refuge in a constitution that guarantees so many freedoms from speech to worship to our reproductive rights and grants us permission to practice our sexuality the way we see fit.  Some have come here driven by their despotic political systems, to experience the blessings of democracy, with their offspring finding occasionally great fame and recognition as leaders in the country their forefathers found refuge in. Some of us are here who may have once come on slave ships, but now have won our freedoms and seek refuge in the laws which protect our freedoms and our dignity.

Yes, we are all refugees, even those who came here from nowhere, but now are given the option to live on some distant ‘reservations,’ as a refuge, where they can enjoy their own traditional ways of life and become refugees in their own ancestral land.

Can there be any doubt that we live in a tremendous refuge and that we are all refugees! Some may lose sight of their condition given the passage of a few generations. Some may recognize it however with ease as their fortunate present reality.

Is there then a refugee who has not robbed, not raped, not killed, not bribed, not raked in millions and ruined the lives of others, not rigged the system to profit from it, not broken the law, ever? We are all guilty. Who should we then ban from among us?

The aging couple, who have lived peacefully in the shadows for half their lives, toiled and labored to earn a livelihood, grown their kids born in the country, to become respectful citizens and made a life for themselves, only to hear the threat of deportation ringing from our system which has no better answers for them?

Or the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) protected kid whose only refuge is America which she calls her home, where she wakes up every morning not knowing what new Executive Order the dawn will bring, which can turn her dream into a nightmare?

Or the undocumented student who overstayed his visa, worked without papers to support himself, has no criminal record, yet fearful of every knock on his door, wondering when will he meet the fury of our system which denies him a refuge and live in our country?

America has always been a refuge, a safe haven, a ‘shining city on a hill,’ welcoming people from far and near, troubled with myriads of problems, seeking a new life of peace and opportunity. Banning people from whole countries, implementing massive deportations, detaining people on fear and suspicion, betrays our foundational values for compassion and justice. It creates an alternative reality for domestic security, that is sadly mistaken. We have been there before in a dark moment of our history. How can we forget the Japanese internment camps? Will we not learn from the painful lessons of our past?

May Allah guide our leaders to do what is right.