Donald J. Trump, in his capacity as President of the United States, issued a new proclamation on his second travel ban this week, before its partial expiration. Here is African Human Rights Coalition statement on this new ban:
The Trump administration announced new restrictions on visitors from eight countries — an expansion of the preexisting travel ban that has spurred fierce legal debates over security, immigration and discrimination. Chad, North Korea and Venezuela were added to the expiring and now reinvoked list. The suspension of U.S. Refugees continues. Melanie Nathan, Executive Director of African HRC notes: "Just like the prior ban, this new ban is also discriminatory and hence unconstitutional, and adding two non-majority Muslim countries in no way mitigates the clear Trump motive - to keep Muslims out of the United States. "
The new ban now also restricts nationals from Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela, and continues to impact those from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
These exclusions vary according to country, ranging from the restriction of immigrant visas to a total ban on both immigrant and non-immigrant entries. It still keep the key aspects of the prior versions and does not change the suspension of the entire US refugee program.
Nathan added: "The new ban does nothing to protect the US against terrorism. The policy is simply based on lies, myth , with not a single fact to prop it up. It is just the latest in the Trump Administration’s shameful attacks on immigrants communities of color.
Here at African Human Rights Coalition we call on Americans, whether in political office or activists at grass root levels, to look at the specific and unconscionable hardship this senseless policy has caused to all refugees, and especially already well vetted LGBTI refugees, now caught in a quagmire of legal gymnastics, which has held up their process to such an extent, that for some this could be a matter of life or death." African HRC is issuing a report on these consequence in the later half of this week.
Contact: nathan@africanHRC.org
