Document Type
Contribution to Book
Publication Date
2023
Publisher
Emerald
Source Publication
Migrations and Diasporas
Source ISSN
978-1-83797-147-3
Original Item ID
DOI: 10.1108/978-1-83797-146-620231005
Abstract
Presidential candidate Donald Trump ran for office promising a ‘total and complete shutdown’ of Muslims entering the United States. This essay, based on policy research, data analysis and interviews, provides extensive details of what became of that promise from legal, social and humanistic perspectives. Issued during his first week in office as US President, the ‘Muslim Ban’ Executive Order immediately produced chaos at airports globally, as US visas and ‘green cards’ suddenly became invalid for entry to the United States for persons travelling on the passports of seven Muslim majority countries. Over time, the Trump administration amended the Muslim Ban through new executive orders and proclamations that removed unlawful components, changed the countries affected, or altered the policy's justification. Although all these iterations faced legal challenges, a majority of the US Supreme Court ultimately acquiesced to President Trump and ruled in favour of the ban's legality. Throughout this period, the US immigration process rattled on like a machine, encouraging would-be (but banned) migrants to continue pursuing their paperwork and paying their fees, even though entry visas would prove unavailable. Waivers for family reunification were overwhelmingly denied at the consular level, and tens of thousands of otherwise eligible migrants lost substantial amounts of money in pursuit of the elusive visa. Protests erupted at US airports when the ban was initially implemented, revealing a political solidarity with Muslims rarely seen before. These events ended when enforcement of the ban was moved to remote locations, to US consulates abroad.
Recommended Citation
Cainkar, Louise, "Trump's Muslim Ban: A Social and Political History" (2023). Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications. 352.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/socs_fac/352
Comments
Accepted version. "Trump's Muslim Ban: A Social and Political History," in Migrations and Diasporas. Eds. William Arrocha and Elena Xeni. Leeds: Emerald (2024): 65-76. DOI. © 2023 Emerald Group Publishing, Ltd. Used with permission.