Travel Bans: Trump is Not an Original
When President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13769 on January 21, 2017, suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, decreasing the number of refugees to be admitted to 50,000 in 2017, and suspending immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, among other provisions, he was standing on the shoulders of other state and national leaders throughout history who also exercised their powers to exclude groups of people from entering the country. President Donald Trump signs Executive Order 13769. Courtesy Radio Free Europe. Using the government to refuse entry or to expel a group of people is not new. Famous examples include President Franklin Roosevelt and the SS St. Louis in 1939, the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 and the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798. The fears that led to those actions are the same we hear now, that we're either 1) afraid that foreigners will compromise the security of our country, or 2) that they will leech the country o