[Dangerous] Muslim Ban 2.0

Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump has issued an Executive Order that revives his Muslim Ban but is also much much and much worse.

The admin has clearly learned from its earlier efforts to ban nationals from Muslim majority countries by issuing a “facially neutral” order that appears to create a non-arbitrary process for its various action items. This is procedural process washing of what it still a discriminatory ban. The new ban has many troubling provisions the old versions of the ban didn’t have, like this provision:

Together these provisions suggest that foreign nationals from countries subject to the new ban that was admitted to the US in the last 4-5 years could be subject to deportation. Is this a blanket, automatic deportation order? Or is it more particularized? Hard to provide answers since this provision is written in a deliberately vague way. Either way, it places countless foreign nationals present in the US in a precarious position - including over 60,000 Iranians holding non-visitor visas. 48 Hours after win the election, Trump, via Elon Musk, meet high-ranking Iran official in NYC.

The authority for this ban - 212(f) - creates some hurdles to treating this as a blanket deportation clause. Then there’s this provision - which is also new:

This seems quite clearly targeted to foreign nationals involved in pro-Palestine protests, in particular, foreign students on visas. Pro-Israel folks have been demanding the deportation of these protestors since October 7th, 2023.

Then there’s my personal favorite - a call to force foreign nationals to “assimilate :

Could also be the basis for a new-NSEERS / INS [The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System or INS / Immigration and Naturalization Service Special Registration] like registry for foreign nationals already present in the US. NSEERS was a program started shortly after 9/11, req males of a certain age from almost only Muslim majority countries to register, like me.

This is troubling,because it just can catch people up that are not a threat to security,as we have witnessed spring of 2024 on college campus students, professors against Gaza genocide. Today hearings on Trump picks for immigration DHS & UN ambassadors.

Schedule for Senate hearings set so far, in Eastern time:

Tuesday

10 a.m.: Doug Collins, Department of Veterans Affairs

The former Georgia congressman goes before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Collins is a Baptist minister, former Navy chaplain and Air Force Reserve colonel. The VA provides health care to former members of the armed forces.

10 a.m.: Elise Stefanik, U.N. ambassador

Stefanik, a New York congresswoman who serves as chair of the House Republican Conference, has a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Long one of Trump’s most loyal allies in the House, she was among those discussed as a potential vice presidential choice. The U.N. ambassador represents the United States at the international organization, where there are deep divisions from the wars in the Mideast and Ukraine.

Wednesday

10 a.m.: Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget

Vought, OMB director during Trump’s first term, goes before the Senate Budget Committee. Vought, who has already had a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that the Republican nominee tried to distance himself from during the campaign. The budget director oversees the building of the president’s budget and reviews proposed regulations.

Thursday

10 a.m.: Brooke Rollins, Agriculture Department

The former White House aide, who served as Trump's domestic policy chief during his first administration, appears before the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. The agriculture chief oversees a sprawling agency that controls policies, regulations and aid programs related to farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition.

Dates not yet confirmed

Hearings are not yet scheduled for all of Trump's choices, including some of the most contentious:

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Department

Tulsi Gabbard, Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services Department

Howard Lutnick, Commerce Department

Linda McMahon, Education Department

Kash Patel, FBI

Back again about Muslim Ban 2.0

There is also a provision on refugees - as there was in previous versions of the Muslim Ban. Don’t know off the top of my head whether this is any worse than those bans or current processes for vetting asylum seekers. I believe the “stateless” language is new, tho I could be wrong.

The stateless language will undoubtedly impact many Palestinians likely by design.