Anti-immigrant ‘attacks’ and raids, new travel ban,
withdrawal of protected status for Nepalese all draw ire.
By P.C. Staff
The Japanese American Citizens League issued an omnibus statement today denouncing the Trump administration’s recent “attacks on immigrants,” issuance of a travel ban on 12 nations, the rescission of Temporary Protected Status for Nepalese nationals displaced by a 2015 earthquake and the “deployment of the National Guard and Marines in California.”
Following a June 1 terror attack at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colo., by an Egyptian national who had overstayed his tourist visa, President Trump on June 4 issued a proclamation, which went into effect June 9, banning citizens of 12 countries from visiting the United States and restricting citizens from seven other nations.
In its statement in reaction to Trump’s proclamation, JACL noted that the nations listed in it encompassed those from the “Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean.” No European nations were on that list, nor was Egypt.
In his first stint as president, Trump issued a similar edict in January 2017, known as the Muslim travel ban, that attempted to prohibit persons from seven predominantly Muslim nations from entering the U.S. It immediately faced several legal challenges and after undergoing changes, including the addition of Venezuela and North Korea, eventually was upheld by the Supreme Court. After defeating Trump in his re-election bid, President Biden revoked Trump’s executive order, with only North Korea remaining on the list.
In its statement JACL said: “As with the travel ban issued during the first administration, the President makes flimsy claims of national security necessity. This order once again plays upon the isolationist and xenophobic stereotypes that led to the Chinese Exclusion Act and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII.”
The JACL statement also expressed concern over raids conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement that took place in Los Angeles over the weekend that sparked protests. “Deployment of the National Guard and Marines was an unlawful activation by the President and an unnecessary escalation of violence by the government.”
To read the entire statement, click here.
