Trump’s Travel Ban Is Inhumane

President Trump’s addition of Nigeria and five other countries to his restricted travel list is a move that is both disheartening and disadvantageous. While the threat of terrorism is a good reason to impose a travel ban, the restrictions cause more harm than good and are also a cover for animosity. 

According to the proclamation, each country was issued the ban due to circumstances that either had to do with terrorist groups and/or immigration. Nigeria was added due to the small threat of members from Boko Haram seeking to enter the United States.

“The six countries newly added to the immigration ban are not easily categorized together by religion. Nigeria, for example is thought to be home to more than 200 million people, roughly half of them Muslim and half Christian. Of the four African countries newly singled out, only Sudan has a significant majority of Muslims.”

Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project

As an American citizen born in Nigeria, I can say that this move has many disadvantages. It has separated my family from the rest of our blood left in Nigeria. After years of trying to obtain the means for family to come to the U.S., Trump managed to not only destroy all my parents and relatives efforts, but to bar them indefinitely. In Nigeria, family is everything. We hold family sacred, and now the president has made it so that family is separated. 

The ban is disheartening because so many people are fleeing oppression from the places they once called home. When people ask me about my move from Nigeria and how I like it in America, I usually tell them that I came from one corrupt government to another. Nigeria’s government reminds me a lot of America’s: the rich are in power, and they use their power to their own benefit.

“Already, the ban has ripped countless families apart, and has denied refuge to communities fleeing unimaginable persecution. It is horrific that this rejection of humanity is being expanded. Now is the time to promote coalition-building and cross-community solidarity. That is the only way we may work to defeat this unspeakably vitriolic banning of humanity, once and for all.”

Wa’el Alzayat, chief executive for the organization, Emgage.

Maybe it’s because of my religious upbringing — Seventh-Day Adventist — but I have always known that the suffering of others was not something to be taken lightly. Nigerians are still reeling from the horrors of Boko Haram. The Muslim minority of Myanmar are fleeing genocide. Sudan is still working to fix its government and country after years of authoritarian rule. Other countries added to the restricted travel list have multitudes fleeing the oppression they receive from their countries. Isn’t America the “Land of the Free?” Aren’t we a melting pot? The travel ban sends mixed messages to other countries who take that to heart. I can also say that I am confused by the recent events. 

In addition, one cannot exclude the possibility that this ban was built on racism and is Anti-Muslim. Ever since the 9/11, Americans have become more and more hostile towards anyone Muslim, whether or not they are extremist or not. I shouldn’t have to say that this isn’t right. Hating a whole group of people for the actions of a small number is not fair. It’s like kicking 100 students out of university because two students from the same high school as them plagiarized. That is essentially what this ban is implying, especially with Trump’s perspectives on the matter. 

Trump has not shied away from making his thoughts about Africans known. He often insults them and has even said that Nigerians would never “go back to their huts” once they’ve entered the U.S. I just want to point out that our “huts” in Nigeria are quite nice and often come with pools, patios and have men hired to open our gates to guests. 

“President Trump and his administration’s continued disdain for our nation’s national security and our founding ideals of liberty and justice dishonor our proud immigrant heritage and the diversity that strengthens and enriches our communities.”

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said in a statement.

According to an article in Ozy Magazine, Nigerians are among the most successful ethnic groups in the U.S., dominating professional fields and highly educated. As a Nigerian who is working to make herself known among her predecessors, I can attest to that fact. 

Trump’s travel ban, while understandable in the context of terrorism, is still inhumane, especially to those fleeing those terrorists the U.S. government is so worried about. I believe that the ugliest thing you can ever see is a human being without compassion. Sometimes I wonder if those in power have any.