Civil rights groups in the United States expressed alarm yesterday over a new executive order signed by former President Donald Trump, claiming that it revives and expands a controversial travel ban against Muslim-majority countries in 2017. Experts said that the directive might also affect foreign nationals already living legally in the U.S., such as international students campaigning for Palestinian rights.
“The worst part of it now is that it’s looking to not just ban people outside the U.S. from entering but also to use these same rationales as a basis to get people out of the U.S.,” said Deepa Alagesan, a lawyer with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP).
Broader Scope and Implications
The executive order, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” instructs officials to identify nations that have inadequate vetting measures. It takes it one step further by demanding data on those individuals from such nations who have entered the U.S. since 2021 and taking “immediate steps” to deport foreign citizens deemed a threat.
Critics argue that the vague language grants broad authority to target and remove individuals based on ideological grounds. Alagesan described the directive as “bigger and worse” than the original travel ban, emphasizing its potential to “break up families, incite fear, and ensure that people know they are not welcome.”
Targeting Palestinian Advocacy
The order’s provisions have been raising particular concerns about Palestinian rights supporters. It instructs officials to recommend actions against people “who preach or call for sectarian violence, the overthrow or replacement of the culture on which our constitutional Republic stands, or who provide aid, advocacy, or support for foreign terrorists.
The mandate is exposing her and millions of others, said University of Colorado law professor Maryam Jamshidi, an international scholar herself. Single out Palestinian solidarity activists, particularly international students, she said. Language is certainly about foreign nationals, including foreign students who are participating in Palestine advocacy.
Pro-Israel politicians include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who used to be an advocate for the deportation of international students who participate in Palestinian solidarity protests. Rubio co-authored a 2023 Senate letter urging the removal of such students, which mentions comparisons to the 9/11 attackers.
Fear of Ideological Exclusion
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee criticized the order for giving the government “wider latitude to use ideological exclusion” to deny visas and deport individuals. “ADC calls on the Donald Trump administration to stop stigmatizing and targeting entire communities, which only sows division,” the group stated.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council also raised a concern that the directive’s strengthened vetting measures serve as a “de facto Muslim ban under the guise of security protocols.”
Historical Context of Policies by Trump
The order has reignited criticism of prior immigration policies by Trump, including the 2017 travel ban that restricted entry from several Muslim-majority countries. In 2018, media outlets reported Trump’s disparaging remarks about immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations, which he referred to as “s***hole countries.”
“It’s just another method to keep people out, to get people out,” said Alagesan. “It’s the ugliest possible action to remove people that the president has decided he doesn’t want here.”
Concerns Over Deportation Provisions
Experts believe that this directive is not likely to bring about mass deportations but are warning that it will subject targeted groups to increased scrutiny and intimidation. Jamshidi explained that the order relies on the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the president to restrict entry to the U.S. but does not explicitly grant authority to deport foreign nationals already present.
This is probably not a blanket deportation charge,” Jamshidi said. She added, however that the order could inhibit political activities found to be contrary to the administration’s rules.
Wider Cultural Implications
The wording of the decree itself includes provisions that will ensure proper assimilation and promote a unified American identity. This has been perceived by critics as part of a greater cultural agenda regarding what it is to be American.
“They are painting a picture of what is acceptable, what is not; what is American, what is not; what is patriotic, what is not,” said Dima Khalidi, director of Palestine Legal.
Khalidi argued that the administration seeks to use the discretion afforded by immigration law to silence Palestinian rights supporters by framing criticism of Israel as “un-American.”
Civil rights advocates warn that Trump’s latest executive order revives the discriminatory principles of the 2017 travel ban while expanding its scope to include ideological exclusion and deportation. They fear it will disproportionately target Muslim-majority countries, Palestinian rights activists, and immigrant communities, undermining core American values of freedom and inclusion.
“This order has broader implications for all sorts of groups than the initial iterations of the Muslim ban,” said Jamshidi. “It’s another salvo in the right’s culture wars.”