Donald Trump's refugee ban, explained

0:00This executive order, signed by President Trump, 0:03starts a new policy on refugees and immigration in America. 0:06TRUMP: "And this is the protection of the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the 0:14United States..." 0:15But that's not really what's in this Executive Order. 0:18So let’s go through it. 0:19First, the executive order banned all immigrants and visa-holders from seven majority-muslim 0:24countries from entering the US for at least 90 days. 0:28There is no security benefit. 0:31Americans are more likely to be killed by their own clothes than by an immigrant terrorist. 0:36Nobody in the US has been killed in a terrorist attack by immigrants from these particular 0:407 nations. 0:42But the US is now treating everybody from these countries as if they are a suspect. 0:47Computational biologist Samira Asgari said she now can’t come here to work on immunogenomics. 0:54Oscar Winner Asghar Farhadi can’t come back to the US for the Oscars, where he’s nominated 0:58again. 1:00Sudanese Doctor Suha Abushamma hurried back to the US to begin work at the prestigious 1:05Cleveland Clinic, only to be put back onto a plane out hours later. 1:09But in addition to these travel bans, the executive order also begins a fundamental 1:15shift in American refugee policy. 1:17The order halts nearly ALL refugee admissions for 120 days, and admissions of Syrian refugees 1:23indefinitely. 1:24And it says that in the future, refugees will only be admitted from countries that have 1:28sufficient safeguards in place to “ensure the security and welfare of the United States” 1:34This is the opposite of how the US has defined refugees in the past: people fleeing persecution 1:39and violence that their own governments cannot or will not protect them from. 1:44And this comes at a time when the world faces its biggest refugee crisis since World War II.

I guess 130 Frenchmen were killed when their clothes spontaneously combusted. This is a prime example of twisted logic and misuse of facts. But I'll give Vox credit. They got rid of the clips of Trump holding up an EO and saying "Here it is. A five year ban on lobbying," immediately followed by protesters holding up signs against "the ban," creating the misleading impression that he had called for a five-year ban on admitting refugees. After seeing this bit of propaganda, I'm more for keeping Syrian Muslim "refugees" out of the US than ever.

He actually argues that admitting Syrian Christians in proportion to their population in Syria is a good thing, despite the extermination/persecution campaign being waged against them, and then cites as bad treatment of refugees the USS St. Louis, which FDR justified with just such a quota.

Rest of transcript:

1:501 in 122 people worldwide are displaced.
1:53And those fleeing the largest humanitarian emergency of our time — the Syrian civil
1:58war — are the ones singled out by Trump for harsher restrictions.
2:02If you’re worried about US terrorist attacks like 9/11, San Bernadino, or the Orlando Pulse
2:08shooting – this Order would have prevented exactly none of them.
2:12But there is an exception for some kinds of refugees.
2:14David Brody, Christian Broadcasting Network: “As it relates to persecuted Christians, do
2:18you see them as kind of a priority here?”
2:21Trump:”Yes.
2:22They’ve been horribly treated.”
2:23The US will allow members of religious minorities in the individual’s country of nationality
2:27during the 120 day-ban,
2:30and prioritize them thereafter.
2:31Trump: “Do you know if you were a Christian in Syria, it was impossible, very very, at
2:35least very very tough into the United States.
2:38If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible”
2:44In fact, half of refugees in the past few years were Christian.
2:48Refugees from Syria reflected the country’s religious composition – almost entirely
2:53muslim.
2:54But all this aligns with Trump’s anti-Muslim promises throughout the campaign.
2:57Trump: “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering
3:03the United States.”
3:04Trump spoke about taking an “America First” approach at his inauguration.
3:08Trump: “From this day forward it’s going to be only America First.
3:17America First.”
3:19This Executive Order shows how much that vision aligns with the original “America First”
3:23movement.
3:24That movement sought American isolationism too – they were against American intervention
3:28in World War II.
3:30That attitude resulted in the infamous decision in June 1939 to turn away the St. Louis.
3:36That ship had 937 jewish refugees aboard, fleeing another hostile government: Hitler’s.
3:41First, they were turned away in Cuba.
3:43”The liner St. Louis, turned back from Cuba”
3:46Then they approached Florida, but the US Coast Guard, patrolling the waters, kept them away
3:50too.
3:51They eventually disembarked in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.
3:54”...Jewish unfortunates without a country permitted to land in Belgium after five weeks
3:58of suspense afloat...”
3:59And eventually hundreds died in the holocaust.
4:02Since then, the US Government has been the world’s leader in resettling refugees.
4:06”...They finally reach a haven of safety...”
4:08The State Department website still brags about it, claiming 3 Million refugees re-settled
4:13around all 50 states since 1975.
4:16The statue of liberty bears these goals too: a plaque on the pedestal reads:
4:21”Give me your tired, your poor,
4:23Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
4:25The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
4:28Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
4:31I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
4:35America hasn’t always lived up to these lofty goals.
4:38But since World War II, we’ve lived in an era where the diversity of who gets to come
4:42to America has gone up and up.
4:46And a Federal Judge stayed deportations of those stuck in airports amidst the confusion.
4:51And the Trump administration has already started scaling back.
4:54Reince Priebus, White House Chief Of Staff: “As far as green card holders, moving forward,
4:57it doesn’t affect them.”
The Trump Administration is trying to end the era when America didn’t care what religion
5:03you are.
5:04Regardless where you come from.
5:06Legal challenges and protests around the country continue to try to preserve it.

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