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On his first day in office, President Joe Biden is beginning the immense task of dismantling former President Donald Trump’s nativist legacy on immigration, issuing an executive order to end Trump’s controversial travel ban on noncitizens from 13 countries.
The policy, colloquially known as the “Muslim ban,” first went into effect in January 2017 and became one of Trump’s signature immigration policies. The ban has slowed or altogether halted legal immigration from certain countries that the former administration deemed to be security threats, keeping families apart and even stymieing refugee resettlement.
The travel ban was Trump’s first major action on immigration policy, setting the tone for the chaotic four years that followed for immigrants while galvanizing public opposition.
Demonstrators listen to speakers during a rally outside the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday Jan 28, 2020, in Richmond, Va. (AP/Steve Helber)
Muslim, African and Arab Americans and civil rights advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after President Joe Biden s long-anticipated reversal of the travel ban, which has separated thousands of families since it was issued in former President Donald Trump s first week in office.
Biden s fulfillment of his day-one promise to Muslim supporters, which he first announced at a Muslim conference in July, signals a new direction on immigration law and policy, moving away from the Trump Administration s draconian policies, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said in a statement.
On his first day as president, Joe Biden proposed sweeping immigration reforms, ended the so-called Muslim ban and hit the ground running with a highly diverse Cabinet and staff, drawing praise from many people from underrepresented communities in Arizona.
Many people from diverse communities describe living in fear and anxiety under the divisive and polarizing climate created by former President Donald Trump, whose Make America Great Again, or MAGA, policies painted immigrants, Muslims and people of color as threats.
Trump also had one of the least diverse Cabinets and staffs in modern history. His many executive orders included restricting federal training programs aimed at fostering diversity and inclusion.