Activist Lauds Biden over Ban Reverse

Activists have praised President Joe Biden, the newly inaugurated 46th President of the United States of America, over the Trump administration’s reverse travel ban.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that the reversal is part of a 10-day onslaught of executive actions intended to overturn key Trump policies without waiting for Congress, on topics ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change and criminal justice.
Even after Trump’s ban was reversed, advocacy groups are on the move to push for congressional action to prevent any future president from reviving the ban.

Murad Awawdeh, an advocate and leader of the immigration advocacy organization, says he finally felt relief as Biden followed through on his promise to swiftly sign an executive order reversing the measure in its entirety. He noted that “It’s remarkable to see it was one of the first things Trump enacted, and it was one of the first things Biden undid, which is symbolic. It demonstrates the power our communities have built to demand justice.” Awawdeh says.
He further added that Biden’s executive order targeted towards “ending discriminatory bans on entry to the United States” specifically took issue with the Trump Administration’s measures to prevent entry to individuals from several Muslim-majority and African countries.

“Those actions are a stain on our national conscience and are inconsistent with our long history of welcoming people of all faiths and no faith at all,” the order said, also pushing back against the rationale put forth by supporters of the ban that it would strengthen national security.

“Our national security will be enhanced” by lifting the ban, and the usual “rigorous” vetting procedures applied to every visa application would remain, it said.

Meanwhile, Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American activist and executive director of MPower Change, a Muslim grassroots movement advocating to overturn the travel restrictions for years, says families won’t be reunited instantly, adding that it may take weeks or months for the processes to be put in place. She noted that complete adherence to COVID-19-protocol on travel restrictions would further complicate the timeline of reuniting families.

Many Muslims and immigration advocates have lauded the President’s ban lifting but said work is not over. Sarsour hopes community and service organizations will ensure that any information the Biden Administration will share would be communicated with communities in languages that they understand.
According to her, “The executive order is just the first step,” she says. “It’s the intention to make a wrong right. But there’s also work that comes with that.”

Data from the Brennan Center for Justice’s state department analysis revealed that more than 42,000 people had been restricted from entering the U.S. because of the travel restrictions since 2017. The U.S. government had said the policy was to tighten security for countries that don’t comply with the U.S. minimum security standards or cooperate to prevent illegal immigration.

The incumbent President, who is moving to erase Trump’s legacy, has signed several orders upon his oath-taking and inauguration on Wednesday at the Capitol.