Looking beyond its effectiveness, this ban stands in opposition to
the core American and constitutional values. This ban stands in
opposition to the core American and constitutional values that we, as
Federal employees, took an oath to uphold. The United States is a nation of immigrants, starting from its very
origins. The concept that immigrants and foreigners are welcome is an
essential element of our society, our government, and our foreign
policy. So, too, is the concept that we are all equal under the law and
that we, as a nation, abhor discrimination, whether it is based on
race, religion, sex, or national origin. Combined together, that means
we have a special obligation to maintain an immigration system that is
as free as possible from discrimination, that does not have implied or
actual religious tests, and that views individuals as individuals, not
as part of stereotyped groups. Banning travelers from these seven countries calls back to some of
the worst times in our history. Laws enacted in the 1920s and which
lasted through the 1960s severely restricted immigration based on
national origin and, in some cases, race. The decision to restrict the
freedom of Japanese Americans in the United States and foreign citizens
who wanted to travel to settle in the United States during the 1940s
has been a source of lasting shame for many in our country. Decades
from now, we will look back and realize we made the same mistakes as
our predecessors: shutting borders in a knee-jerk reaction instead of
setting up systems of checks that protect our interests and our values.
Identified stereotypes
Generalization about immigrants and foreigners being welcome is an essential element of our society.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrants