Trump’s’ New Revised Immigration Executive Order “…Looks Like a Duck, Walks Like a Duck, and Sounds Like a Duck…”

Arab American Action Network statement on the revised #MuslimBan2 executive order

Note: This statement was read by AAAN executive director Abudayyeh at a press conference we helped organize today—immediately after the executive order was announced—in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  You can watch it here. 

Donald Trump just signed a revised executive order that looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, so we call it what it is—a continuation of the #MuslimBan.  The mass movement against Trump’s racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia, which brought thousands of people out to shut down airports in major cities, including O’Hare, helped defeat the first ban, which was stopped in federal court and on appeal. We thought Trump would take it to the Supreme Court next, but he came back with this new executive order instead.

There are some basic revisions in it, including exempting green card holders and removing the indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, but Syrian and other refugees are still banned from entering the country for many months, and immigrant visas from six of the original 7 Muslim-majority Middle Eastern, Arab, and African countries will be rejected.  As we’ve said many times, the U.S. government is responsible for destabilizing, bombing, or threatening to bomb Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for years, forcing people from these countries to flee war and occupation; the U.S. pushes them out of their homelands, and then tells them that they can’t flee here. The ban also sets its sights on Arabs and Muslims already here in the U.S., criminalizing us as the local face of the “enemy abroad,” and making us targets of racism and hate. 

Last month, a Black teenager, Ben Keita, from Washington State was found lynched; and in the past week, a Somali cabbie and a Sikh man were also killed. Trump’s policies tell his white supremacist supporters that it is open season on ALL communities of color.

We expect that there will again be resistance to this order in the streets and the courts, but while we were bracing for the announcement, the director of the Department of Homeland Security signed implementation memos that target all undocumented immigrants for immediate deportation, an action even more dangerous than this executive order. And new policies targeting protesters, as well as giving free rein to police perpetrating violence against Black communities, were also established recently. With increased ICE raids across the country, undocumented Latinos, especially Mexicans and Central Americans, are bearing the brunt, so we call for resistance to Trump’s policies, and continue our demands to end all raids, detentions, and deportations; to strengthen Chicago’s welcoming city ordinance and close all its loopholes; and to stop continued police violence against Black communities.

Trump’s White House is in shambles. He attacks the media and makes overtly racist statements to Black reporters. His appointment to a major leadership position commits borderline criminal acts. Other nominees turn down his offers. His surrogates say the most misogynistic and disgusting things to women on Twitter. And masses of people are protesting throughout the country on an almost daily basis. The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is protesting his Department of Justice TODAY, March 7^th; women’s rights organizations are organizing a rally on #InternationalWomensDay March 8^th; and the immigrant rights movement will have tens of thousands in the streets on May Day, May 1^st.  

#UnityInResistance continues to be this coalition’s theme, and the resistance is essential now more than ever to protect our communities.

#MuslimBan2 #NoMuslimBanChi #NoBanNoWallNoRaids #100DaysOfResistance #Sanctuary4All

Arab American Action Network

March 6^th, 2017

The other press conference speakers (in no particular order):

• Nashiha Alam of Asian Americans Advancing Justice
• Frank Chapman of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
• Lissette Castillo of PASO – West Suburban Action Project
• Lawrence Benito of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
• Inhe Choi of the Hana Center
• Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Cook County Commissioner
• Mary Meg McCarthy of the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC)
• Reverend “Slim” Coleman of Centro Sin Fronteras

All conveners and supporters of the actions against the executive orders since January 27th: Arab American Action Network, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago, Organized Communities Against Deportations, United African Organization, Korean American Resource and Cultural Center, PASO – West Suburban Action Project, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, National Immigrant Justice Center, U.S. Palestinian Community Network, National Lawyers Guild, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Pilsen Alliance, Chicago Teachers Union, Council on American-Islamic Relations, 8th Day Center for Justice, Student and Graduate Activists (SAGA)-UIC, Syrian Community Network, Centro Sin Fronteras, Arab American Family Services, Indo-American Center, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance of Illinois, Inner-city Muslim Action Network, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, Anakbayan-Chicago, Iraqi Mutual Aid Society, Campaign to TAKE ON HATE, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, Suburban Unity Alliance, American Muslims for Palestine, American Friends Service Committee-Chicago, Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago, Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Suburban Unity Alliance, Black Lives Matter-Chicago, Chicago Jobs with Justice, Arise-Chicago, United Electrical Workers (UE) Western Region, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Illinois and Indiana, United Working Families, Fight for 15-Chicago, elected and appointed officials, and many other advocacy, immigrant rights, and legal groups.

For more information, contact: Hatem Abudayyeh, Arab American Action Network (AAAN), 773.301.4108, hatem@aaan.org