Alexandria Galtney
Managing Editor
On Friday, Jan. 27, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order to put a pause on all immigration in some countries with a history of terrorism and the U.S. refugee program.
Trump’s executive order, which some are calling a “Muslim Ban,” is fulfilling one of his controversial campaign pledges.
All travelers, except United States citizens, traveling from Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Iran, Libya and Yemen, will temporarily be suspended from entry into the country for 90 days.
The Trump administration announced that these countries were on a list for “countries of concerns” formally made during the Obama administration, but the executive order was never implemented.
Some travelers that were in the air while the order was being signed were sent back to the countries they flew in from. Others were detained, and those who have citizenship coming back from their home countries had to be rescreened.
Presidents have broad power in shaping immigration policy, but some critics feel parts of Trump’s order are unconstitutional and discriminatory.
The executive order has received global backlash from U.S. citizens, federal judges, foreign leaders, and prime ministers.
Hundreds of people from New York, Atlanta, Dallas and Seattle staged protests at major airports across the country. Vocal crowds against the order even gathered outside the White House.
Many students at Jackson State University, particularly those hailing from banned regions, were very concerned about the order and how it will affect them.
“I feel like it hurts a lot of international students who are here to study and get an education,” said Taha Merghams, a senior computer engineering major from Sudan.
Senior Omar Khattab, a native of Saudi Arabia majoring in entrepreneurship said, “It’s undemocratic. It’s not what the country was based and founded on, because I think America is America because of immigrants.”
Some students not personally affected by the ban still felt that it was unfair.
“It’s definitely absurd and I think it marginalizes a great deal of black students too, not just Muslim or international students,” said Jessica James, a senior political science major from Clarksdale, Miss.
Antonio Harper feels the ban will eventually hurt the U.S. economically.
“To be honest, I don’t like it at all. We have a lot of immigrants coming to the U.S., especially Mississippi, to look for work and jobs,” said Harper, a freshman computer engineering major.
Some JSU students however, support the immigration ban.
“I believe that Trump’s executive order on immigration is one that is needed, and I believe that Trump is taking the rightful step for what he believes as president,” said Ferrand Isaac, a graduate management student from Saint Lucia.
JSU’s Interim President, Rob Paige, issued a statement responding to the presidential order on travel and immigration on Jan.31. In a mass email sent to the students and faculty, Paige said in part, “In light of the executive order on immigration, we are aware of the uncertainty some of our students, faculty and staff may be experiencing. We are currently gathering information to determine the effect the executive order may have on our campus community, and we will keep you updated as more information becomes available. As Mississippi’s only urban research university, it is critical that we provide a safe, welcoming environment for our students to learn and grow.”
Paige urged any student or visiting scholar concerned about how the order may affect them to contact the university’s visa and immigration specialist, Jessika Jones, at 601-979-3792.
Priscilla Slade, the Special Assistant to Provost for JSU Global & Community Colleges said, “We want our students to know that we are here for them and wholeheartedly support them.”
President Paige also added that any student or employee in need of emotional support, visit the Latasha Norman Center for Counseling Services.
Despite the looming lawsuits, President Trump continues to move forward with his executive action saying that the implementation of the order is working out very nicely.
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