Procrastination and time management in senior coursework

.....office, Trump issued an executive order banning people from seven Muslim countries from entering the United States, and simultaneously stopped accepting refugees from Syria. The affected countries included Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya. Several months after the original executive order, the Trump administration removed Iraq from the list of banned countries. The executive order created a legal fiasco, a social miasma, and certain economic downturn not just for the affected nations but for the United States, too.

On its legal merits alone, the executive order has been challenged several times. Initial confusion was related to whether or not existing Green Card holders and tourist visa holders from the Muslim nations would still be permitted entry or re-entry into the United States. Similarly, there were legal questions about whether pending Green Card applications or tourist visa applications would be processed or denied outright. Other related issues included the outright and overt discrimination the travel ban implicated, which is why more than a dozen states have filed individual and collective suits against the federal government to attempt to either lift the ban entirely or at least soften or change it (Levine & Rosenberg, 2017). Several U.S. Circuit Court judges have refused to comply too (Hananel, 2017). The legal conundrums and instability it has caused creates a dangerous state of affairs in the United States, but also highlights the importance of checks and balances as well as the differences between local, state, and federal jurisdictions.

Although the Trump administration claims the travel ban is a counterterrorism measure, Trump failed to ban nationals from places like Saudi Arabia, from where the September 11 terrorists hailed. Therefore, it is clear that by targeting Muslim nations, the ban is discriminatory. Several of the lawsuits pending against the federal legislation directly address the discrimination issue ("Trump travel ban: Five questions about the revised executive order," 2017). In fact, Trump clearly admitted to allowing Christian refugees but not Muslim ones ("Trump travel ban: Five questions about the revised executive order," 2017). Social justice is a clear reason to oppose the ban, which affects students and professionals -- far more than it curtails terrorism.

Finally, the Trump travel ban has already had a detrimental effect on the economy, both domestic and international. As a travel ban, the executive order directly deals a blow to the lucrative business and leisure tourism sectors (Torbati, 2017). The downturn in travel is not just from nationals of the six affected Muslim nations, but has had a cross over effect in which people from around the world are now opting out of visiting the United States; whole conferences have been called off (Schaper, 2017). In addition to affecting tourism in a direct way, leading to cancelled flights and conferences, the Trump travel ban has also impacted the economy by preventing employers from hiring talent from affected countries and countries that have been indirectly affected too. For example, an Iranian national with a permanent residency in the United Kingdom who is a top engineer in the field would be barred from entering. The ban works both ways, too, with a mutuality agreement ensuring that Americans are barred from traveling or working in the six affected nations (Torbati, 2017).

The travel ban is one of many ridiculous measures the administration has engaged in since Trump assumed power. By banning travel from Muslim nations, the Trump administration sends an antagonistic message, and one that will have long-term legal, social, and economic repercussions. The executive order was designed to be a counterterrorism measure but in fact, it could end up instigating further anti-American sentiment around the world.

References

Hananel, S. (2017). Federal judge in D.C. delays ruling in Trump travel ban case. PBS Newshour. Retrieved online: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/federal-judge-d-c-delays-ruling-trump-travel-ban-case/

Levine, D. & Rosenberg, M. (2017). U.S. States realign in legal battle over Trump's travel ban. Reuters. Retrieved online: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-legal-idUSKBN17O00W

Schaper, D. (2017). Trump travel ban hits the travel industry. NPR. Retrieved online: http://www.npr.org/2017/03/09/519382871/trump-travel-ban-hits-the-travel-industry

Torbati, Y. (2017). Number of U.S. visas to citizens of Trump travel ban nations drops. Reuters. Retrieved online: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-visas-analysis-idUSKBN17T34G

"Trump travel ban: Five questions about the revised executive order," (2017). BBC. 16 March, 2017. Retrieved online: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39044403