Trump Bars Refugees and Citizens of 7 Muslim Countries



United States Policy Toward Jewish Refugees WWII 1941-1952The outbreak of World War II in September 1939 seriously increased the difficulty for refugees attempting to flee Nazi persecution. As the German military swept through Europe, it became increasingly more difficult for refugees to flee abroad. The war also dramatically heightened security concerns in Europe and the United States. Out of fear that the Nazis could smuggle spies in with refugees, immigration officials made it far more challenging for immigrants to enter the United States.Allied victory in WWII brought an end to Nazi terror in Europe and to the war in the Pacific. However, liberated Jews, suffering from illness and exhaustion, emerged from concentration camps and hiding places to discover a world which still seemed to have no place for them. Without their families and reluctant to return to their pre-war homes, these Jewish displaced persons (DPs) were joined in a matter of months by more than 150,000 other Jews fleeing anti-Semitism (prejudice toward Jews) and violence in eastern Europe. President Harry S. Truman favored a liberal (open-minded) immigration policy toward refugees. He issued a statement, known as the "Truman Directive," on December 22, 1945, announcing that entry would be granted to displaced persons within the existing immigration limits. Truman's statement led to the admission of over 100,000 displaced Jews.This became a turning point in American immigration policy and established an example for future refugee crises – that refugees seeking safety from oppression could find a home in the United States.~United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumTrump Bars Refugees and Citizens of 7 Muslim CountriesWASHINGTON — President Trump in January closed the nation’s borders to refugees from around the world, ordering that families fleeing civil war and unrest in Syria be blocked from entering the United States, and temporarily suspending immigration from several Muslim countries.“We don’t want them here,” Mr. Trump said of Islamist terrorists during a signing ceremony at the Pentagon. “We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country, and love deeply our people.” Trump also ordered that Christian refugees be granted priority over Muslims. The executive order suspends the entry of refugees into the United States for 120 days and directs officials ”to ensure that those approved for admission do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States.”The countries included in the refugee ban are Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria (whose refugees are banned indefinitely). Despite these countries being linked to concerns about terrorism, refugees from these countries have committed zero fatal acts of terrorism in the U.S. since 1975.Human rights activists roundly criticized Mr. Trump’s actions, describing them as officially approved religious persecution dressed up to look like an effort to make the United States safer. “The refugees impacted by today’s decision are among the world’s most vulnerable people — women, children, and men — who are simply trying to find a safe place to live after fleeing unfathomable violence and loss,” said the leader of one Human Rights organization. Comparing Immigration Policies Use the questions below to help you understand the relationship between the United State’s policies toward refugees throughout the past century. 1. Summarize: In your own words, summarize the United State’s immigration policies?U.S. Policy Toward Jews 1940sU.S. Policy Toward Muslim Countries 20172. Similarities: How are these texts similar or related? What specific details connect to each other?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3. Differences: How are these texts different? Where do they “disagree”?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4. Two Texts Together: How does reading the two texts together make you understand things about America’s past and present refugee policies that you might not understand if you read them separately.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5. Questions and Reactions: What questions do these two articles raise for you? What reactions do you have to them, either individually or together?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ................
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