Europe needs to reaffirm its commitment to solidarity in response to Trump's travel ban
At a time when there are more displaced people around the globe than at any time since the end of World War II, the decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to suspend the US refugee programme will cause tremendous harm to refugees and do nothing to address national security issues. The simultaneous decision to impose a blanket ban on travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries (not including countries where he has businesses) underscores the racist and Islamophobic agenda of the new administration.
“Let’s be clear, this ban is deliberately targeting Muslims. While not all Muslim countries will be hit - and many others will suffer besides - Trump is clearly targeting people on the basis of their religion,” says Greens/EFA Co-President, Ska Keller.
Such policies convey fear instead of courage and portray broad, discriminatory, and isolationist actions as acceptable. Europe should take this opportunity to strongly affirm its commitment towards solidarity by stepping up resettlement programmes and building open and inclusive societies.
“Every one of us, including the governments of member states, needs to be clear on which side they stand. On the side of hate and walls or on the side of human rights and solidarity. We need to make our European Union stronger,” Ska Keller says.
This ludicrous executive order has been adopted in haste and without specific data to support the view that refugees and migrants pose a greater risk of committing acts of terrorism than nationals.
We should be reminded of the harmful impact of policies lacking an evidence-based justification, especially in a context where the European Union is also reviewing its legislation on a Common European Asylum System. The proposals currently on the table lack an impact assessment that would provide a clear evidence-base for the most restrictive aspects of the proposed reforms.
