List of 7 Muslim Countries Banned for Immigration by Donald Trump

The President of United States Donald Trump on Friday banned -temporarily, 7 Muslim countries to immigrate to the United States. Donald Trump barred the citizens of seven countries from entering the United States for at least 90 days by executive order, which according to report says is just the first step towards establishing a broader ban.

The seven banned countries by US President Donald Trump includes Iran, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.The order recently signed by Donald Trump also bans Syrian refugees indefinitely from the US and suspends the broader refugee program. In his order, Trump said that the order was to keep out “radical Islamic terrorists from the US”.

Iran: Iran prevented three deputies in the US Congress from traveling to Iran. The US president intends to challenge the Iranian regime since it poses a threat to its neighboring countries. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a total of 35,266 nonimmigrant visas were granted to Iranians to enter the United States in 2015. It is believed that this decision is a warning to Tehran from the new president of United States.

Syria: The relation between Syria and United States has never been good and it got worse in 2012 due to the Syrian Civil War. The priority issues between the two states have been the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Iraq War, the Golan Heights annexation and the Syrian War. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a total of 16,010 nonimmigrant visas were granted to Syrians to enter the United States in 2015.

Iraq: Iraq and United States have had their bitter relations from a long time. The Iraq Crisis escalated after withdrawal of US troops in 2011 resulted in violent conflicts with the central government as well as among Iraq’s religious groups which led to a civil war with the conquest of Fallujah and Mosul and major areas of northern Iran by ISIS. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a total of 21,381 nonimmigrant visas were granted to Iraq citizens to enter the United States in 2015.

Somalia: Somalia is a war torn country in the horn of Africa. Since there is a lack of central government and law and order in the country, many people in the country are dying due to hunger and poverty. Somalia has been a land of illegal activities and instability has been a major issue of the country. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a total of 359 nonimmigrant visas were granted to Somalia citizens to enter the United States in 2015.

Libya: Beginning with the Arab Spring protest of 2011, the Libyan crisis led to the first Libyan civil war, foreign military intervention and death of Muammar Gaddafi. This led to violence and instability across the country which led to tens of thousands of casualties since te onset of violence in 2011. Former US president Barack Obama stated in April 2016 that not preparing for a post-Gaddafi Libya was probably the ‘worst mistake’ of his presidency.  According to the Department of Homeland Security, a total of 2879 nonimmigrant visas were granted to Libyan citizens to enter the United States in 2015.

Sudan: In 2001, Sudan publicly supported the international coalition action against Al-Qaida network and the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, the government criticized the U.S. strikes in the country and opposed a widening of the effort against international terrorism to other countries. Sudan remains in the state sponsors of terrorism list. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a total of 4792 nonimmigrant visas were granted to Sudan citizens to enter the United States in 2015.

Yemen: Yemen has been the center for the Al Qaeda to operate in the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen is a fragile state plagued by a myriad of socio-economic and security challenges. The population faces high levels of poverty and unemployment and a low literacy rate. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a total of 5549 nonimmigrant visas were granted to Yemen citizens to enter the United States in 2015.

Notice the way Donald Trump has so far only talked about banning Muslims from certain countries only for certain time periods; he won’t pick every Muslim country at first (but he can add and drop at will), so he can be insulated from the charge of violating the letter and spirit of the United States Constitution. By working gradually, and always under the guise of national security—in whose name we gladly suspend all our moral values—it will be harder to see the big picture. Until, of course, it’s too late. Stay Tuned For More Updates: Indiantalks.