In 2017, President Donald Trump sparked national outrage when he implemented the so-called Muslim travel ban, blocking visitors from Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The decision sparked widespread protests and legal challenges, and Joe Biden reversed it in one of his first acts as president. But before Trump proposed such a ban, a low-ranking member of Congress named Ron DeSantis quietly introduced the first version of this travel order. On December 1, 2015, DeSantis – now Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate – introduced the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act, which would prevent the entry of refugees from certain countries “if the alien is a national, habitually resident in, or claims refugee status as a result of events occurring in a country whose territory is controlled by terrorists control.
The countries mentioned in the bill that never made it out of committee are Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. It comes shortly after President Barack Obama agreed to resettle 10,000 Syrians amid a humanitarian crisis in the country. This angered some Republicans, who said the policy posed too many risks. “You don’t bring refugees into the country if there’s a risk that they will become terrorists who attack the American people,” DeSantis said at the time. This story became known today as DeSantis sought the nomination for Republican Party chairman amid chaos in the Middle East. He has previously stated that he will not accept refugees from Gaza into the United States, and Muslim groups warn that he is no different from Trump when it comes to his policies toward majority-majority countries. follow Islam. They say these policies harm domestic relations and further increase the likelihood of threats and violence already targeting the community.
“People are worried; they are worried,” said Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage, a Muslim civic engagement and advocacy group. “People like Trump, DeSantis, and MAGA Republicans continue to make things worse. Trump, by far the front-runner in the Republican presidential race, said he would seek to reimpose the travel ban that Biden overturned after the Supreme Court upheld it and will extend this order to refugees from Gaza.
DeSantis’ campaign has not yet said whether DeSantis would seek to reimpose Trump’s travel ban or some version of it if elected. But a spokesman said DeSantis still supports his previously introduced bill. “Trump did not build the wall and delayed the deportation of illegal immigrants to appease Democrats,” DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin wrote in a post. “The only serious choice voters have in 2024 is who will build the wall, end the illegal immigration crisis, and ensure that U.S. immigration policy delivers first and foremost. most important for America is Ron DeSantis. The false narratives of his critics will not stop him. ” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung responded by taking aim at DeSantis’ work in Florida.
“It also has its own illegal immigration problem,” Cheung said, referring to a Newsweek article about undocumented immigrants in Florida. “The state he is supposed to lead is one of two states where the number of illegal immigrants has increased in recent years. You have to go home and do your job. DeSantis was criticized by the Muslim community after using the phrase “so-called Islamophobia” on the debate stage on November 8, seemingly raising doubts about whether Islamophobia is a real problem or not. “What is Biden doing? ” Not only does it not help Jewish students who are being persecuted he is launching an initiative to combat so-called Islamophobia. No, anti-Semitism is out of control. This is what we face,” DeSantis said during the debate sponsored by Alzayat said the remarks were deeply offensive to members of the Muslim community, who have been grappling with hate incidents since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. He said the language and discussion of bans on Muslims only escalates an already tense issue, potentially putting Muslims in danger. “I think DeSantis is Islamophobic and completely comfortable with Muslims being killed,” Alzayat said. “He is who he says he is. ”Alzayat highlights the recent shooting of three Palestinian-American students in Vermont, which is still under investigation to determine whether it was a hate crime, and the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy in Illinois is making Muslims uncomfortable. community.
DeSantis’ campaign said he stands by his comments. Alzayat also criticized Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas as well as the destruction in the Gaza Strip. But he said those concerns are very different from the problems facing the Republican Party. “He [Biden] is a disappointment. But we should not confuse that with equating him or his presidency with Donald Trump or anyone else,” Alzayat said. “I want that distinction to be very clear. ” Samir Kakli, executive committee chairman of the Muslim Federation of South Florida, also disagreed with DeSantis’ comments about “so-called Islamophobia. ” Imagine if he had said ‘so-called anti-Semitism,’ how intense the outrage would have been? Kakli wrote in a statement. “This is part of an unfortunate double standard on the part of elected officials across the country, especially in Florida, which is stoking hatred toward the Muslim American community, contributing to a 216% increase in Islamophobic attacks and incidents nationwide.”
Kakli noted that DeSantis has called for banning pro-Palestinian groups on college campuses in Florida, saying he is “trying to silence voices he disagrees with.” Palestinian students wearing kaffiyeh shirts were brutally shot in Vermont two days ago, one of whom will never walk again Kakli said. “Minimizing Islamophobia puts Americans at risk. Our elected officials have a duty to keep all Americans safe. DeSantis’ comments also drew criticism from the White House and the Biden campaign, saying “Ron DeSantis’ xenophobic and hateful rhetoric contributes to this type of violence and hate crimes that we’ve seen in recent weeks,” said campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa. “It is racist, extremist, and un-American – and as President Biden has said, it has no place in our country.”